Elisabeth (Lisbeth) Schütt
Elisabeth Schütt was born on 21 January 1901. Her birthplace is unknown, but in the new book about the prisoners, which was drawn up for Mauthausen concentration camp on 15 September 1944, there is a record of her being a Polish prisoner.1AMM, K5/6. Also the Dutch Bible Students who had been imprisoned with her, remember her as being a Polish native speaker. They called her ‘Lisbeth’.2PA, interview Huisman, Gerdina, 15-10-2002.
Elisabeth was known as one of the 144.000 ‘anointed’. Her views were held to be guiding. Both she and Alwine Blöbaum were the chosen leaders of the group of prisoners.3WTA Emmen, interview Huisman, Gerdina, 15-03-2002.
Elisabeth had also been transported from Ravensbrück to St. Lambrecht and was assigned work on the land and in the forestry. In this capacity she also was in touch with the local population of St. Lambrecht. Here Elisabeth got to know a Bible Student living incognito, whom she persuaded to bring bread and wine to the cloister gate for the so-called ‘Memorial’ celebration, for the imprisoned Bible Students.4PA, interview Hoogers-Elbertsen, Jans, 16-10-2002. Elisabeth’s courage made it possible for the religious group to actively practise their faith – such as the above-mentioned faith ritual.
While moving books, Elisabeth managed to ‘borrow’ a few Bibles and smuggled them into the camp. It has also been mentioned that she put her religious knowledge down in writing in St. Lambrecht to preserve this and at the same time to make it available to her sisters in the faith.5WTA Emmen, interview Huisman, Gerdina, 15-03-2002.
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