Miep Gies: Not an Ordinary Hero

Miep Gies was a woman who had an extraordinary history. She helped hide the Franks and others from the Germans. Also, she kept Anne’s diaries so she could publish it. Finally, she was awarded the Grand Decoration of honour for services to the Republic of Austria. She was one of the most amazing women in history. Miep Gies helped many, kept Anne’s diary, and was honored.

       Miep Gies helped the Franks escape from the Germans. She describes in the article, “Miep Gies: Helping the Hider in the Secret Annex”, “When we arrived at the Frank apartment, few words were exchanged. I could feel their urgency, an uncurrent of near panic. But I could see that much needed to be organized and prepared. It was all too terrible.” In the book, Diary of a Young Girl, it states, “At eleven o’clock, Miep and Henk Van Saten arrived. Once again, shoes, stockings, books and clothes disappeared into Miep’s bag and Henk’s deep pockets.” Miep was asked by Otto Frank to help them. She knew it was an illegal act. Miep accepted this offer and hid them for two years. She did this until word came out that Jews were hiding in the Annex.

       Once the Franks were taken away, Miep found Anne’s diary. After all the commotion, Miep kept the diary in her dresser. Once Otto came back, Miep gave the diary back to Otto. Otto explains, “Miep, I have come to you because, out of all the people that are left, you and Jan are dearest to me.” Otto started reading the diary to other Jews. Miep helped him publish it for Anne. Miep exclaims in the article, “Miep Gies: Working Life”, “Though I wept a lot, I kept thinking, ‘Anne, you gave me one of the finest presents I ever got.’” That is what she said when reading her book.

       Because of her heroic actions in the 1930s-1940s, she was awarded for her deeds. She was presented the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria. She also lived to be 100 years old. She exclaims, “I am one hundred years old now. That is an admirable age, and I have even reached it in fairly good health. So then it's fair to say I've been fortunate, and being fortunate seems to be the red thread running through my life.” She also states, “In those dark days during the war, we didn't stand on the sidelines. We offered a helping hand, we committed our very lives. We couldn't have done any more than that.”

Miep Gies was one heroic, fantastic, and amazing woman. She will always be remembered for what she did. She helped the Franks go into hiding from the Germans. She helped publish Anne Frank's diary. Finally, she was awarded for her kind, helping hand. Miep Gies was out of the ordinary.

Anne Frank: Leadership as a Legacy

Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany and lived in Amsterdam during World War II. Fleeing the Nazis genocide actions towards Jews, her family went into hiding for two years. During those two years, she kept a diary where she recorded her deepest feelings and thoughts. She was fifteen when the Frank family was found. Anne died seven months later at Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp, from a disease called typhus. Her book, The Diary of Anne Frank, has since been read by millions of people all over the world. Anne Frank grew up in an average German-Jewish family. Her father, Otto Frank, was a lieutenant in World War 1 and later became a businessman in Germany, and her mother, Edith Frank, stayed at home. Anne also had a sister named Margot who was three years older than her. Soon after Anne was born, the anti-Semitic National German Socialist Workers Party (Nazi Party) led by Adolph Hitler became Germany's leading political force, winning control of the government in 1933. Otto Frank said,”I can remember that as early as 1932, groups of Storm Troopers came marching by, singing, 'When Jewish blood splatters from the knife.” It was then the Frank family decided it was time to leave. They fled to Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1933. After Otto and his family left he said,”Though this did hurt me deeply, I realized that Germany was not the world, and I left my country forever.” On June 12, 1942, Anne's parents gave her a red checkered diary for her 13th birthday. Immediately, she started placing her thoughts and feelings in this diary. Weeks later on July 5, 1942 Margot was told to go to a concentration camp. The next day the family went into hiding in makeshift quarters in an empty space at the back of Otto Frank's company building, which they referred to as the Secret Annex. While the Frank family was hiding Anne was constantly writing in her diary. Sometimes she wrote all of her melancholy thoughts in her diary. On February 3, 1944 she wrote, “I've reached the point where I hardly care whether I live or die. The world will keep on turning without me, and I can't do anything to change events anyway." After two years of hiding, the Frank family finally got busted. A German secret police officer accompanied by four Nazis stormed into the secret annex and arrested everyone hiding there. They had been betrayed by an anonymous tip, the identity of the betrayer still remains unknown. They were taken to Camp Westerbork, a concentration camp in the northeastern Netherlands, on August 8, 1944. They were transferred to Auschwitz death camp in Poland on September 3, 1944. Upon arriving at Auschwitz, the men and women were separated. Otto Frank would never see his wife or daughters again. At Auschwitz, Anne and Margot had the task of hauling heavy stones and grass mats. After several months of this heavy workload, Anne and Margot were transferred again to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. At Bergen-Belsen, food was scarce, sanitation was awful and disease ran rampant. A few months after getting to Bergen-Belsen Anne and her sister got typhus. Anne died sometime in March 1945. Less then a month later the camp was liberated by British soldiers. Anne was one of the most inspiring young women of the twentieth century. She demonstrated perseverance by pushing through the challenging situations she faced. Anne was optimistic by being positive despite the horrific experiences she went through. Finally, she was brave by not being frightened by everything that could happen. Anne Frank will forever be remembered for her leadership for generations to come.

The Life of Anne Frank

Anne Frank is a normal kid that’s a Jew. She has a normal life until it’s turned upside down because of the Holocaust. She goes into hiding, but that’s not enough. Anne writes in a diary to express her feelings. Two years into hiding, Anne gets caught. 

Did she get caught because of sabotage or by a coincidence?  Anne and her family were caught by sabotage! Anne and her family were taken to the awful concentration camps and the only one to survive in her family was her dad.

This is the real story of how Anne Frank’s life was during the Holocaust.

Anne was born in Frankfurt, Germany on June 12, 1929. Anne was a Jew and it wasn’t going so well for the Jews at the time. When it was time for Anne to go to school, she had many friends, but she had to move to Amsterdam for her father’s business. Anne attended Amsterdam's Sixth Montessori School when they moved. Her teachers thought that she was very bright and inquisitive. Her family was Otto, Edith, and Margot Frank.

They were a normal family of Jews with perfect and happy lives until...The German Armies invaded Poland on May 10, 1940. Anne was forced to go to a segregated Jewish school with only Jews in them and the Germans came up with these terrible laws that were unfair. Anne said,” This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”  Two years later, Anne receives a diary for her thirteenth birthday. Anne loves writing in her diary. Anne said,” I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all the things that lie buried deep in my heart.”

A little after Anne’s birthday, the Germans get worse and the Frank family go into hiding. “The first thing I put in was this diary, hair curlers, handkerchiefs, schoolbooks, a comb, and old letters,” Anne writes when they pack up to go into hiding. They find a secret annex inside her father’s store until they were caught two years later because someone sabotaged them. They were sent to concentration camps. Anne’s mom doesn’t make it and dies of starvation.

A few months later, Anne and her sister are moved to another concentration camp called Bergen-Belsen on October 30. “ Nice people, the Germans! To think that I was one of them, too!No, Hitler took away nationality long ago. In fact, Germans and Jews are one of the greatest enemies in the world.” It got really cold and Anne and Margot caught epidemic typhus. Margot died on March 9, 1945 at 19 years old. Anne died on March 12, 1945 at 15 years old.

After the Holocaust is over, Otto, their father, comes home and sees that all his family has died. Otto receives Anne’s diary and knew that Anne wanted her diary to be published one day. Otto was very surprised at how good Anne was at writing and decides to rewrite it and publish it. Otto died in Basel, Switzerland on August 19, 1980.

Victor Rona, The Sad, Sad Life

Victor Rona, The Sad, Sad Life

  Victor Rona was born on December 26, 1928 in Satu-Mare. He lived there with his parents and his older brother, Erwin. His father’s name was Alexander Samuel Rona, who attended the University in Budapest. Alexander, Victor’s father, made a living by being a professor in the State Commercial College in Satu-Mare. Victor’s mother, Magdalena, worked for Jewish communal activities. Anne’s and Victor’s life were very similar because they both have one dad and one mom and they both had a brother or sister. I know this because the text states,”Where he lived with his parents and his older brother, Erwin.”

  Jews comprised 20% of the population in Satu-Mare.They took an active role in the development of commerce and industry in the city, and were found in almost all professions. When Hungary annexed Satu-Mare in 1940, it passed anti semitic measures barring Jews from various professions. Victor’s father lost his job, but became director of the Jewish high school, which was founded in 1941. Life for the Jews in Hungary was difficult, but most did not see their lives threatened.

  As a high school student, Victor excelled in language just like Anne Frank. Victor also, was very good at sports and music. He won a medal in a fencing competition against a team that was non-Jewish, despite the anti semitic attitude of the period. He took music lessons, and he spent hours on his stamp collection. He was also active in several youth Jewish organizations, where he was very well liked and had lots of friends.

  In March 1944, Germany invaded Hungary. Two months later, the Jews of Satu-Mare were suddenly forced by the Germans to live in a ghetto. Deportations to death camps came almost immediately. Victor and his family were deported on May 30, 1944. Victor was only 15 years old and strong and healthy, so he was chosen for forced labor instead of immediate death. From June 1944 to April 1945, he was sent to four different slave labor camps in Germany. Somehow, he survived all four death camps, but he was liberated in April 1945. Five days later, he died of a bayonet wound in his left arm. He was sixteen years old when he died.

  Victor and I were somewhat alike and somewhat different because he was Jewish and I am American. He liked to play sports and I like to play sports. I know he liked to play sports because the text states,”Victor excelled in literature, music, and sports.” Anne and Victor were alike too because they both died at the same age. I know they died at the same age because the text states,”Victor was 16 years old when he died.” Victor was one of the 1.5 million Jewish children that was murdered by the Germans.

The Children of the Holocaust

The Children of the Holocaust

by: Grace Eskew

There are a ton of differences between children living in America today and children that were born in 1937, in Germany like Liane Krochmal. Most people think of Anne Frank when they think about children of the holocaust, but you need to know that there were also 1.5 million other children killed. They were worried about living through the day in concentration camps while you and I are worried about finishing a simple school assignment. I will be telling you all about Liane Krochmal’s life, how she was like and dislike Anne, and how Liane’s differences with children today.

Liane Krochmal was born on July 25, 1937. She was the daughter of Jacob and Amalie Krochmal. She only had one sister named Vienna. Seeing no hope under the Nazis, the Krochmal family fled to France. From France they hoped to eventually receive permission to enter the United States. Liane had an uncle living in New York who was willing to guarantee the support of the entire family. Sadly, they never received permission to go the United States. Also, her eleven year old brother and both her parents got arrested by the French police and handed over to the Germans. Soon after, they were transported to concentration camps and murdered. Liane died at the age of seven.

As stated earlier, most people think of Anne Frank when they think of children of the holocaust. Although she was very important, all children of the holocaust deserve to be remembered. An article named, Children During the Holocaust” states, ”The Germans and their collaborators killed as many as 1.5 million children.” This mass murder of Jewish people and children was a terrible time in history. All in all, children including Liane Krochmal and Anne Frank should be looked back on for the their rough lives by everyone.

Liane Krochmal and all Jewish children live very different lives than you and I.Their school lives were different than ours because they usually had to sit by themselves in tight quarters. Also,the children were most likely worried sick that the Nazis were going to come and take their family away from them, that is very different from us because we don’t have to worry about that today. In the article “Hidden Children: Hardships” it states,”Among the most painful memories for hidden children was their separation from parents, grandparents, and siblings. For a variety of reasons—the lack of space, the inability or unwillingness of a rescuer to take in an entire family, or the decision of the parents not to abandon other family members in the ghetto—many Jewish children went into hiding alone.” This quote shows the hardships that all children of the holocaust.

All in all, after reading my essay, I hope you know to remember all children of the holocaust. Stephen Ambrose said, “ The holocaust was the worst crime ever committed.”

I believe this is very true, and believe everyone including adults and children should be remembered.

The Story of Lilly Klein

Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you were captured and taken away by The Nazis? Lilly Klein has lived through that situation. She had to go through the hard times without any food or water for possibly weeks. Could you? This is the story of Lilly Klein.

   Lilly Klein was older than me, and I am only eleven. The Children of the Holocaust website stated, “ Lilly, the daughter of Sara and Sandor Klein, lived with her mother and seven siblings, in the city of Debrecen, Hungary.” That right there basically told us that she lived a normal life. A house, maybe with an attic or basement, or even a simple one level house. Basically the normal life.  Just like you. Hungary was an ally of Germany at the time, when it got around to be, “1943, the Hungarian government realized that their German all was losing the war.” So to try to save their country they tried to back out, but it backfired. Germany ended up taking over their country. Lilly was seventeen when this happened.

   “ Lilly and her family were rounded up and herded into a sealed-off Ghetto where they were kept for two months.” THey were okay there, but they started sending them off to different camps. Lilly all alone was put on a train to go to an Auschwitz death camp. Thankfully she never made it there. The train had gotten stopped because the tracks had been ruined so they could go no further. The train instead was put on the route to the Strasshoff concentration camp in Australia.

     When Lilly got there she was then forced to do forced labor. When you are in forced labor it was normally where they just tried to just work you to death. She was worked to the point of total exhaustion. She rarely got food or water. Get this if they were to ill or elderly to work they were murdered in a gas chamber. When the camp was liberated in April 1945, Eighteen year old Lilly was barely alive.

     In conclusion, she was a strong person she of not many made it out alive.  I personally think that if I had been through this I would have not made it out alive. We need to remember her in all the ways our little tiny brain can process. We need to remember all of them. They are special as are we. My one true question is, “ Could you make it?”

The Story of Naomi Posinova

The Story of Naomi Posinova

Naomi Posinova was an innocent child who thought of the world as good until her whole entire life turned upside down… This is the story of Naomi.

    Naomi Posinova. The only thing people didn’t like about her was that she was Jewish. The text states in the article, “Children of the Holocaust”, “Naomi and her family were deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto in Czechoslovakia.” The text also states, “After she went there she managed to keep learning just like she was before she left.” Again the text states, “In late 1944 or early 1945, Naomi and her parents were “selected” for transport to Auschwitz. Soon after their arrival, Naomi and her mother were murdered in the gas chambers. Naomi was only 12.”

    Naomi and Anne Frank had so many similarities here are some of them. They both were the youngest (even though Naomi was the only child). They both went through hard times and hid their feelings when they were both so young. Anne states in the novel, A Diary of a Young Girl, “I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart”. They both seemed so quiet but energized at the same time as they felt sad, (But that is only what i think). They both were put in a concentration camp. One sad thing they had in common is they both died right before the Holocaust was over.

     Naomi and I have so many differences. Naomi lived in Auschwitz, and I live in Georgia. She got deported to the ghetto, although I didn’t. She got transported to a concentration camp which was very sad because she was only twelve. She also died in a gas chamber. And that is the saddest thing to hear.

     In conclusion, Naomi and many other children died for no reason. Naomi and any other child who died during the Holocaust could have done so much for the future and on. Over 1.5 million children died and they should be rewarded for living, and demonstrating courage, despite the obstacles. Through honoring the life of Naomi, I hope that we all can learn not to take life for granted, and do onto others what you would have them do unto you. Let’s all live by the golden rule.