Miep Gies

Born Hermine Santruschitz in Vienna, Austria, Miep Gies was, by all accounts, not Jewish. Her family sent her to the Netherlands for relief from food shortages, which, in a delightful twist of fate, led her to a job at Otto Frank's company, Opekta.

It was there that her true calling emerged: becoming one of the righteous among the nations, albeit without the formal title. When the Franks and several other Jews went into hiding, Gies, along with her husband Jan and others, risked their lives daily to provide food, news, and comfort to those sequestered in the Secret Annex.

Her actions went beyond mere bravery. After the Gestapo raided the hiding place and arrested the families, Gies retrieved Anne Frank's diary, hoping to return it to her. She held onto it, unread, until Otto Frank's return, a poignant act of preservation that ensured the world would eventually hear Anne's voice. A true mensch, even if she didn't know a word of Yiddish.