Date: 2010-02-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I stand before you today in support of H. Res. 1074 "Honoring the life of Miep Gies. who aided Anne Franks family while they were in hiding and preserved her diary for future generations." I would like to begin by thanking my colleague Representative MARY Jo KILROY for introducing this resolution in the House. as it is important that we honor and recognize those who helped and aided groups of people who were persecuted by the Nazis during World War II. Furthermore. we must never forget the horrible atrocities of the Holocaust and continue to fight against acts of genocide around the world as well as fight against bigotry and intolerance here at home in the U.S. During the Second World War. Miep Gies helped and assisted Anne Frank and her family by hiding and protecting them from Nazi persecution. In fact. Miep Gies agreed to hide and assist the Frank family in avoiding Jewish persecution at the hands of the Nazis without hesitation. Miep Gies initially met Anne Franks father. Otto Frank. in 1933 and worked as a secretary in his pectin manufacturing company. Opekta. After some time. she became well acquainted with the Frank family. as did her husband Jan Gies. whom she married on July 16. 1941. In the early 1940s. the Nazis began targeting specific groups of people including Jews. ethnic Poles. Romani. Soviet civilians. Soviet prisoners of war. people with disabilities. homosexuals. Jehovahs Witnesses. and other political and religious groups. Between 1940 and 1945 during the Holocaust. more than 6 million Jews and other targeted groups were exterminated by the Nazis. During this time. Miep Gies along with her husband and several colleagues helped hide the Frank family including Edith and Otto Frank. their daughters Margot and Anne. Hermann and Auguste van Pels. their son Peter. and Fritz Pfeffer. from Nazi persecution. Miep Gies husband Jan Gies was a member of the Dutch Resistance who was dedicated to assisting Jews and other persecuted peoples escape by obtaining illegal ration cards for food and finding good hiding places. Miep Gies and her husband hid the Frank family in a secret upstairs room of the office building that was used by Mr. Franks spice company from July 1942 to August 1944. Every few days Miep Gies would come by the secret upstairs room of Mr. Franks former office building and bring food supplies in addition to writing supplies for Anne Frank. Because of Miep Gies genuine compassion and selflessness. her friends were able to evade the horrors of Nazi persecution for two years. Sadly. on the morning of August 4. 1944. the Grine Polizei arrested Anne Frank and her family who were hiding in the secret upstairs room of Mr. Franks office building. Because of her genuine care and compassion for her friends however. Miep Gies attempted to petition and bribe the Austrian Nazi officer to release her friends for several days after their arrest. Unfortunately the officer would not allow for their release. After being arrested. Anne Frank and her family were deported to the Auschwitz Nazi Concentration Camp where Anne stayed until being transferred to the BergenBelsen concentration camp. Sadly. Anne Frank later died there in March 1945 at the age of 15 though her father Otto Frank. from whom she was separated. survived the war. Sometime after Anne Frank and her family were arrested and deported. Miep Gies found the diary Anne Frank had kept while hiding from the Nazis in the secret room and safeguarded it through the end of the war. It wasnt until after the end of World War II that Miep Gies released the pages of Anne Franks diary to her father. Otto Frank. The diary of Anne Frank was later published and entitled "The Diary of a Young Girl." The diary was also translated into 70 languages and remains as a testament for future generations on the horrors of the Holocaust and the importance of preventing genocide in all forms. Sadly Miep Gies recently passed away on January 11. 2010 leaving behind a legacy of compassion and teaching. Today I stand in recognition of the courage that Miep Gies had in risking her own life to shelter and provide for the Frank family while they were in hiding from the Nazis. The love and selflessness that Miep Gies showed in sheltering her friends from the hatred and persecution of Nazi Germany should be an example to us all. I would also like to commend Miep Gies for recovering and preserving the diary of Anne Frank through the end of World War II. Because of the thoughtfulness of Miep Gies. the Diary of Anne Frank now serves as both an inspiration as well as an example to millions of people around the world. It is important that we never forget the horrible actions that took place during the Holocaust. It is also important that we never forget the courageous and noble acts of people all across Europe in the fight against the Nazi regime as well as those who assisted persecuted groups during those terrible times. Furthermore. I would also like to urge countries and leaders across the world to reassess their efforts in fighting racism. intolerance and antiSemitism. Through providing education and instruction to adults and children alike. we can help to ensure that what happened in Europe during the Holocaust is never allowed to happen again. I ask my colleagues for their support of this legislation as well as their support for those who protect defenseless people across the world. I strongly urge you to support this resolution.