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"Miep Gees entered history without wanting to. She did what too many others are too afraid to do: she risked her freedom, her life, in her determination to save Jews from deportation and death. From 1942 to ’44, Gies, who died [on] Jan 10 at 100, helped shelter and feed Ann Frank and her family in the attic in Amsterdam, where at the time Jews were being branded, humiliated and condemned just because they were Jews. Her life remains a moral example for millions to follow.
"I met Gies much later and was impressed by her sincerity, the simplicity of her comments and the moving quality of her smile. Calm, soft and reserved, she radiated nobility and strength of character. She talked little and quietly. When speaking of the past, she seemed to relive it.
"Naturally, I knew much about her life. Anne’s immortal diary, which Gies found and gave to Otto Frank after the war, was filled with praise for her devotion and sacrifice.
"I asked her where she had found the courage to defy the Gestapo during the dark days of the occupation, and she protested. “I did nothing heroic or extraordinary,” she said. “Human beings were in peril, and I had to care for them.” But for the Franks, she represented all that was good and generous. She was the incarnation of hope.
/cont... (Elie Wiesel's TIMRE eulogy continues below the youtube clip)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.5-million "see" Anne Frank
This 20 sec film footage of Anne Frank is the only film of her known to exist of the 13-year-old scribe. It was released The Anne Frank Museum recently and has been viewed over 2.5 milllion people. Be the next.
The 20-second video of the film gives us a glimpse of Anne as she admires her newly-wed neighbours.
"I met Gies much later and was impressed by her sincerity, the simplicity of her comments and the moving quality of her smile. Calm, soft and reserved, she radiated nobility and strength of character. She talked little and quietly. When speaking of the past, she seemed to relive it.
"Naturally, I knew much about her life. Anne’s immortal diary, which Gies found and gave to Otto Frank after the war, was filled with praise for her devotion and sacrifice.
"I asked her where she had found the courage to defy the Gestapo during the dark days of the occupation, and she protested. “I did nothing heroic or extraordinary,” she said. “Human beings were in peril, and I had to care for them.” But for the Franks, she represented all that was good and generous. She was the incarnation of hope."
Elie Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning professor and author
