World premiere film screening at Lipscomb reveals forgotten heroine of the Holocaust

Janel Shoun | 

A discovery was made in 2004 in a dusty church basement outside Frankfurt, Germany that re-wrote history. Before the briefcase full of papers was found, only a friend knew for sure that Elisabeth Schmitz was perhaps the most forceful voice of Christian resistance against the Nazis. This discovery connected a forgotten woman to the most tumultuous events of the 20th century. Who was this courageous woman? 

“Elisabeth of Berlin,” the latest film by director Steven D. Martin, will be shown at Lipscomb University on Monday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in Ward Hall. Lipscomb is among five U.S. locales, including Duke and American universities and three German sites, to host a series of world premiere screenings of the film this November. Lipscomb’s event is sponsored by the Hazelip School of Theology and includes a panel discussion with the filmmaker and local Christian and Jewish theologians following the film.

November 2008 marks the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”), a pivotal night in Nazi Germany when soldiers wreaked havoc in Jewish sections of the city and captured and deported thousands of Jews to concentration camps.

Rev. Martin has produced three films on the role of the Protestant church in the Third Reich, beginning with the breakthrough “Theologians Under Hitler,” which aired on public television stations around the nation, was shown to members of Congress in the U.S. Capital in 2005 and was honored by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in February 2007. Rev. Martin also directed “Islam in America after 9/11” and “Muslims in Appalachia, which was broadcast on Nashville’s public television station as well as stations across the nation.

“Elisabeth of Berlin” tells the forgotten story of a schoolteacher who pleaded with church leaders to take a stand on behalf of the Jews of Germany. When the oppression of the Jews turned violent in November of 1938, she took early retirement, objecting that she could no longer teach her subjects according to the Nazi worldview. For nearly five years after she put her life at continuous risk by sheltering Jews in her Berlin apartment and in a small house in the country.

Elisabeth Schmitz recognized the danger of Nazism long before others in the churches. While most church leaders embraced Nazism, and others regarded Hitler with more caution, Schmitz understood the catastrophe from the very beginning. “Elisabeth of Berlin” is part biography, part historical narrative, and part detective story. It has brought fascination and inspiration to adults and children alike. Above all this film shows us the importance of always broadening our circle of friendships, especially during dangerous times.

Vital Visions Incorporated is a non-profit organization that uses films to bring about conversations that make for a more peaceful world. More information can be found at www.vitalvisions.org.