Maurits Smit was a son of Isaac Smit and Elisabeth Bierman, and a grandson of Nathan Smit and Heintje de Wolff. His parents survived the Holocaust but his grandparents were killed in Auschwitz during the Shoah. He was born I a family with seven children, namely Hendrika in 1898, mostly named Henriette, Nathan in 1902, Rozette in 1908, Jacob in 1911, Abraham in 1917 and Maurits self in 1900. Sadly his parents had also a stillborn child in 1914. As far as known, Maurits was the only one who has been killed with his family during the Shoah.,
Maurits, usually called Maurice, was a commercial traveler by trade. He married Esther van Dam, a daughter of Marcus van Dam and Esther Snoek. The couple had two children, Elisabeth in 1927 and Branca in 1929. Both were born in Antwerp.
Maurits Smit was deported on 24 Octber 1942 with convoy XV from Mechelen to Auschwitz. This transport arrived 26 October in Auschwitz where many male deportees have NOT immediately been killed in the gaschambers. They were “laborers” who were registered in the camp. It is most likely that Maurits belonged to that group of 576 persons, who have entered the camp that way. Eventually it has been established that Maurits Smit has died on 19 May 1944 at an unknown place – but presumably in Auschwitz.
His wife and children, Esther van Dam and daughters Elisabeth and Branca were deported from Mechelen to Auschwitz with convoy 25 on 19 May 1944. This convoy has been formed already up from 4 April but the results of the “hunt on Jews” turned out to be poor: “only” 507 persons left with this transport the transit camp Caserne Dossin in Mechelen on the 19th of May 1944 and arrived in Auschwitz on 21 May 1944. It is assumed that Esther Smit-van Dam and her daughters Elisabeth of 16 years old and Branca of 14 years were immediately killed on arrival in Auschwitz.
Sources among others: City Archive of Amsterdam, Copied volumes Family Registrations 1892-1920; genelogic report of the descendants of Nathan Smit and Heintje de Wolff and the Memorial of the deportation of the Belgian Jews.