Elijah Joel Smith

Elijah Joel Smith (January 26, 1888-June 29, 1944) was involved in the rescue of Danish Jews during the Holocaust.

Life

He was born in Rochester, England to Kenneth and Joy Smith. In 1906 he enrolled in Oaklands College to pursue a degree in History. He was known as an exceptionally talented football player, and was named the captain of his team. He was also named the valedictorian of his class. He graduated in 1910 with a degree in History, and began teaching at the newly established Langley Boarding School in South Norfolk, England. During World War I he was sent to the Western front until he was injured in the Somme offensive. He returned to England on August 7, 1916, where he remained until 1922.

Rescue work

For reasons unknown, he emigrated to Copenhagen, Denmark, arriving on December 11, 1922. Little is known of his activity there until June 29, 1944. On that day, he was arrested by the German SS for aiding the escape of Jews. Three days later, on July 2, 1944, he was executed. Testimony from Jewish survivors indicates that he aided in the liberation of at least 40 Jews before being captured.

Further reading

• A Different Story: AbOUT a Danish Girl in World War Two, by Emilie Roi, Jerusalem. Yad Vashem. (c.1990)
• Modern Identities and the Creation of History: Stories of Rescue Among the Jews of Denmark, by Andrew Buckser, Anthropological Quarterly 72, (1) (Jan.1999): 1-17.
• The Righteous: the Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust, by Martin Gilbert, New York, Henry Holt, (2003) (hb) ISBN 0-8050-6260-2