Miep Gies and Haiti

Last night, a great woman died at age 100. Miep Gies, of course, was the woman who, with her husband Jan and several other Gentiles, helped to hide Anne Frank and her family, along with the van Pels family, and a Jewish dentist in the "Secret Annex" in a hidden part of Mr. Frank's business in Amsterdam, Holland. For over two years, Miep and her colleagues kept the 8 Jews safe from the Nazi reign of terror. Taking such action put themselves in grave danger; however, they persisted, and, to the end of her life, Miep insisted that she had done nothing heroic. Rather, she said, she did exactly what untold other Dutch had done to resist Nazi oppression and anti-Jewish genocide. After the residents of the "Secret Annex" were betrayed and arrested by the Gestapo, Miep Gies saved Anne's diary, hoping to return it to her after the war. Of course, as most readers of this blog know, Anne and her sister Margot died in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp just weeks before the Allies liberated Europe from Nazi tyranny. The only survivor, Otto Frank, Anne's father, returned to Amsterdam after his liberation from Auschwitz, and Miep handed him the diary as "Anne's legacy." The diary has been published all over the world, giving a human voice to the horrors of Nazi oppression. Anne, even as a teenager, was a gifted writer, and she certainly would have made a mark on the world had she survived the war. Miep Gies dedicated much of the rest of her life to teaching tolerance and opposing Anti-Semitism. May her soul be at peace eternally with G-D, and may her name and memory be for a blessing. And may her memory strengthen all of us engaged in the works of justice, mercy, and peace.

This evening's news of the devastating earthquake in Haiti gets more dire by the hour. What must be terribly frightening for people all over Haiti is that so much of the power system has been damaged or destroyed, and it's night time -- no lights to see, no lights to help. My community, St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Downtown Hartford and St. Genevieve Parish in Orange, Haiti, have a sister parish relationship, and I'm waiting to hear if we've had any news of the damage in Orange. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and is the least able to cope with such a disaster. And yet, it has happened, which means it is up to us to help in whatever ways we're able -- giving aid to Catholic Relief Services or Medecins Sans Frontiere (Doctors Without Borders), giving aid through one's workplace, church/synagogue/mosque, holding a fundraiser. And, of course, prayer. We will need to wait til morning to get more news. In the meantime, please pray for the people and animals in Haiti.