Meip Gies Dies

Yes, she was certainly an outstanding person and an inspiration.

She certainly was.

I wonder... does someone like Meip Gies die everyday without fanfare because they weren't in a famous book?

The Judengasse museum here in Frankfurt, once had an exhibition which highlighted the many people who had done similar things as did Miep or Schindler. There were quite a few, but they are silent heros and heroines. I was glad to see there were so many who tried to save others at the risk of their own lives. Human goodness often wins out over fear of death.

On the outside wall of the Shoah Museum in Paris there is a very long list of "The Righteous." There were many French people who resisted the deportation of Jews and aided in various ways. In every affected country, there were people who risked their own lives to help. Many sheltered Jewish children. Most of these heroes have died by now, but they are remembered. We can all do our part by "forgiving but never forgetting."

There was a really excellent PBS special called "Last Best Hope - A True Story of Escape, Evasion, and Remembrance" that aired a few years ago. You can find it on Netflix. This thread reminded me of that.

It is a documentary that retraces the footsteps of an American WWII pilot whose plane was shot down in Belgium. It tells the story of Belgians who were part of the "comete line". These ordinary citizens risked their lives to help Allied airmen cross the occupied area and escape over the Pyrenees. In this film, the airman returns to Belgium with his son. They retell the story and along the way interview many of the people who helped him. These interviews are extremely moving.

Anyway, I thought it was an outstanding documentary. It really makes you think. If you want to learn more about these heroes, I highly recommend this program.

Unfortunately Tom is right in that many 'helpers' pass away these days in Holland, Belgium, France, Spain & elsewhere without having their incredible sacrifices and risks during WW2 acknowledged then or now.

I've been doing research on escape/evasion of WW2 aviators for 3 years now because of a family connection related to a particular downed aircraft. Through that work I've met and/or corresponded with many incredible helpers and evaders who did amazing things during the war and then just got on with life. Sadly, too many have died since we met when father time caught up with them. It's said that at least one helper died at the hands of the Nazi's for every Allied evader who successfully escaped occupied Europe; and there were 4,000+ successfull evasions.

One lady in southern France housed 250+/- downed airman evaders before their final sprint over the Pyrenees to "freedom" in Spain with the help of a Belgian underground escape line. She received little credit then nor when she died a few years ago in Pays Basque. Any helper caught by the Nazi's was tortured, then either executed or sent to the concentration camps; and few survived the latter.

"Last Best Hope" was very well done but only touches on the work of the escape lines. Anyone interested in learning more on the topic can feel free to send a PM and I'd be happy to provide a bibliography and/or a "roadmap".

All that said, may Meip rest in peace.

I saw that Laura. It was very moving. I have a book I purchased in Arnhem in 1998 titled, "Quiet Heroes" which tells the stories of 5 or 6 families who took in Jews in The Netherlands during WWII. Most were located in the northern part of the country and the risks they took to hide these people were high and was a very dangerous undertaking on their part. A fascinating read. Then there is Irena Sendler, who has been called "the female Schindler". She died last year at the age of 98 and saved twice as many people as Schindler, a total of around 2,500 which were children. She used many means to smuggle them out of the ghetto in Warsaw. She would find a place for the children and she kept a record of each child's name in a jar and buried it under an apple tree on her property. Her intention was to reunite them with their families after the war but most of their parents did not survive the camps. Irena was arrested by the Nazis and brutally beaten but she never disclosed information that led the Nazis to her children. There is a movie that was made last year about her but I don't know if it has been released yet. I think it has. Maybe someone can verify that. Irena Sendler was in a nursing home the last few years of her life and the lady who cared for her was one of the children she saved during the war. A Link below.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/irenasendler.html

The Irena Sendler story was a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation last year.

On the day Miep died,I searched online for a copy of her 1987 book,"Anne Frank Remembered".Last night I finished this book and was profoundly moved.I had recently read"The Definitive Edition"of Anne Frank's diary,which included much more of her writing than the originally published edition.Then on Christmas day I visited The Anne Frank house in Amsterdam.So I was already feeling strongly connected to her story.Reading Miep's amazing account of the heroism of the people involved was stunning.I had no idea that Miep bravely walked into Nazi headquarters with a bribe to free the hostages after their arrest,fully realizing that her actions could have cost her her life.So many things were going on with Miep and her husband and the Dutch resistanace that Ann and her family knew nothing about.There was also an epilogue,written in 2009,just months before Meip's 100th birthday was was especially poignant.Miep reflected on the fact that this year Anne would have turned 80.This fact hit me hard because my father just turned 80 and it make me acutely aware of all the years that were taken away from Anne.If you've read "The Diary of Anne Frank" as a child,you've only heard a small part of the whole story."The Definitive Edition" of the Diary and "Anne frank Remembered" by Miep Gies and Allison Gold are must reads for anyone interested in World War II history or just a story of courage,survival, and the struggle to value humanity against all odds.I highly recommend both of these books.

I read the Definitive Anne Frank Diary last year too, as well as a book by one of her friends, "Hi, My Name is Anne". I found the diary to be very thought provoking and glad that I have read it. It is much more intense then the old version.

This past year, Frankfurt put up some more plaques to commemorate Anne on her birthday, as the family lived in 2 different houses here before they left to live in the Netherlands. The Frank family had lived here in Frankfurt since the early 1500's, and there are many Franks on the Holocaust Memorial Wall here. I am sure many of them are Annes relatives.

Jo, I will look for "Hi, My Name is Anne" today. Thanks for the suggestion. It is so interesting to read about the same story told through different eyes, with new facts uncovered and discoveries made over the past 50+ years. In an age where our "heros" are people who happen to be good at sports or excessively rich celebrities, it is rewarding to study the too often forgotten lives of the truly heroic.

Quick correction to the title - "My Name is Anne, she said, Anne Frank"
Written by Jacqueline van Maarsen.