Elisabeth Schmitz

The native of Hanau, Elisabeth Schmitz (* 1893, + 1977) was a Protestant theologian and resistance fighter against National Socialism. She graduated from the Schillerschule in Frankfurt in 1914. After studying history, German language and literature, and theology she was permanently employed at the Luisengymnasium in Berlin-Moabit as a Studienrätin.

Since 1934 she had been a member of the Confessing Church (BK). Her attempt to confess the Protestant Church and the Confessing Church to resistance against the persecution of the Jews failed. However, she predicted as early as 1935 what effects National Socialism would have on the Jewish population.

When the exclusion of Jews began, Schmitz turned to the theologian Karl Barth. She tried to persuade Barth to contact Christian churches with representatives of Judaism and to take a public stand on the "Jewish question." At the same time, she began to write her memorandum, "On the Situation of German Non-Aryans," which dealt with the situation of Jews under the National Socialists and at the same time called for the solidarity of the church with all those who were persecuted. She wrote this memorandum anonymously in order to minimize the risk of persecution. She called  for a resistance (of the churches) against the state persecution of the Jews, but without success.

Schmitz not only strongly advocated for Jewish persecutees, but also actively helped those affected. Elisabeth Schmitz housed many persecuted Jews in her apartment or in her weekend house "Pusto" in Wandlitz, and provided help in the form of money and ration cards to save them from the threat of deportation. This willingness to help brought negative consequences, such as the demand for immediate dismissal. In 1938, Schmitz voluntarily retired.

In 1943, she returned to Hanau and lived in her childhood home. She taught at the Karl Rehbein School until 1958.