The people who hid Anne Frank and her family during World War II were the employees of Otto Frank’s business: Victor Kugler, Johannes Kleiman, Miep Gies, and Bep Voskuijl. They provided the Frank family with food, supplies, and news from the outside world while they were in hiding in the Secret Annex.
Unfortunately, on August 4, 1944, the hiding place was discovered by the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police. All eight people in hiding, including Anne Frank, were arrested. The helpers were also arrested and interrogated. Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman were sent to concentration camps. Kugler was imprisoned in several camps but managed to survive the war. Kleiman was released after a short time due to health issues.
Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl were not sent to concentration camps. They were interrogated but released. After the arrest, Miep Gies went back to the Secret Annex and found Anne Frank’s diary, which she kept safe until after the war, hoping to return it to Anne. Sadly, Anne Frank died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in early 1945, but her diary was later published by her father, Otto Frank, and has become one of the most important accounts of the Holocaust.
The bravery and sacrifice of these helpers have been remembered and honored for their efforts to protect the Frank family and others during one of the darkest periods in history.