Smit Arend

Smit, Arend Arend Smit, alias de Lange, an indefatigable Resistance worker, specialized in finding gainful employment for the fugitives under his protection. Arend, born in Amsterdam and living in Apeldoorn, Gelderland, during the war, was a member of the local KP (hit squad) and saved no fewer than 100 Amsterdam Jews. He secured hiding places for 60 of them in Apeldoorn, 20 in Amsterdam, and 20 in Soest, Utrecht. Of these, only one Jew was discovered and deported, and even he later returned from the camps. Arend helped the fugitives earn their keep by setting up a kind of “cottage industry.” He supplied them with basic materials like straw, wood, leather, and paper and these would be turned into shopping bags, waste paper baskets, tea trays, drink coasters, sewing boxes, and other items rarely seen in the shops at the time. These goods would be sold at “reliable” stores and the proceeds would help buy food and clothing for those in hiding. From the end of 1943, the NSF (National Support Fund) took care of the fugitives’ material needs. Ilse Arnhold and her parents were brought to the Smits from Amsterdam in May 1943. They sheltered at the house until September, when it became too dangerous to stay any longer. Geertruida Shapiro and her parents, also from Amsterdam, also found a safe haven at the Smits’ in 1943. At that time, Arend was suffering from tuberculosis and was confined to bed. From his bedside, he nevertheless continued to organize the rescue of dozens of Jews. During the war, Arend also organized the stealing of ration cards, found doctors to treat the sick, recruited barbers to cut hair, and provided false identity cards for everyone. On November 19, 1944, Arend was arrested and taken to the Neuengamme concentration camp. He died in Schwerin in Germany on June 5, 1945, one month after the end of the war. The Smits were members of the strict Reformed Church and believed that it was their duty to save the lives of persecuted Jews. On January 29,1984, Yad Vashem recognized Arend Smit as Righteous Among the Nations.