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Miep Gies was born Hermoine Sanstrousitch in Vienna. At the age of six, her parents, out of concern for the famine going on in VIenna, did as many other parents did at that time and sent her to live with a Dutch family. She thrived there, and by the time she went back to see her parents just a few years later, she said that she was "already thoroughly Dutch". Otto Frank originaly hired her as a quality control person (she handled complaints about the product) and eventually made her a full secretary in the company - she was able to run the office with him away, if neccesary. After the Nazi occupation, Otto decided to hide his family in the rooms upstairs at the back of his office building. He explained to her the risk she was taking, and she brushed it off, saying later "I would not have considered for one second not helping them". She became their lifeline (along with the other employees, and her husband Jan). In theory, anyone caught hiding Jews could be summarily shot, though the usual penalty was more along the lines of 4-6 months in a work camp. She never considered herself a hero - though everyone else did.

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14y ago

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