Above is the full interview with Miep Gies. Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/miep-gies-interview/
Four of Otto’s employees help the Frank family hide. They risk their own lives by helping the Jews. They bring them food, water, books, newspapers, magazines, and more. Anne describes them in her diary as being sunshine. “They come upstairs every day and talk to the men about business and politics, to the women about food and wartime difficulties and to the children about books and newspapers. They put on their most cheerful expressions, bring flowers and gifts for birthdays and holidays and are always ready to do what they can." (Frank, 1991, 264.) The family definitely would not be able to live without the help of these four individuals. The picture to the left is of Otto Frank and the four helpers.
Miep Gies is one of the women who helped hide the Frank family. Hiding the Frank family could lead to huge punishments if she were discovered. Her life could have been taken for simply helping them hide. However, she did it anyways. She worked for Otto Frank for nine years before the family went into hiding. In a recent interview, she describes agreeing immediately to help hide the Frank family. There wasn’t another option to her because if she didn’t help, they would die. She speaks of how difficult it was to watch them all have to live in fear. She describes Anne as always asking questions about the outside world and being very curious. Gies was in charge of bringing food to the Frank family. She would go to several grocery stores so that no one got suspicious that she was buying a large amount of food. Getting food to the family and keeping them safe was the only thing on her mind. When asked how she could be so heroic if she was so afraid, she responds “Even if you are afraid, you can still find it more important to do your human duty, and that is to assist people who need more help. I don't consider myself heroic. To tell you, I was more afraid of the many sleepless nights and the unhappy life I would have afterward had I refused to help.” (Gies, 1997.) Miep Gies is a true hero, whether she realizes it or not. Her human duties led us to a close insight on the life of Jews during the Holocaust.
Miep Gies is one of the women who helped hide the Frank family. Hiding the Frank family could lead to huge punishments if she were discovered. Her life could have been taken for simply helping them hide. However, she did it anyways. She worked for Otto Frank for nine years before the family went into hiding. In a recent interview, she describes agreeing immediately to help hide the Frank family. There wasn’t another option to her because if she didn’t help, they would die. She speaks of how difficult it was to watch them all have to live in fear. She describes Anne as always asking questions about the outside world and being very curious. Gies was in charge of bringing food to the Frank family. She would go to several grocery stores so that no one got suspicious that she was buying a large amount of food. Getting food to the family and keeping them safe was the only thing on her mind. When asked how she could be so heroic if she was so afraid, she responds “Even if you are afraid, you can still find it more important to do your human duty, and that is to assist people who need more help. I don't consider myself heroic. To tell you, I was more afraid of the many sleepless nights and the unhappy life I would have afterward had I refused to help.” (Gies, 1997.) Miep Gies is a true hero, whether she realizes it or not. Her human duties led us to a close insight on the life of Jews during the Holocaust.
Photo Retrieved From: http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/Not-outside-for-2-years/The-Helpers/
