Emanuel de Metz (Accountant, Teacher of Commerce, Resistance Member, and Survivor)
A Loaned Book in a Survivor’s Library:
Rabbi David Miller’s The Secret of the Jew and the Wartime Life of Emanuel de Metz
A privately distributed copy of The
Secret of the Jew: His Life - His Family by Rabbi David Miller offers a rare
convergence of transatlantic Jewish instructional literature and Dutch wartime
history. The volume bears the ex libris of Emanuel (Em.) de Metz
(1908–1987) accountant, teacher of
commerce, resistance member, and survivor. Its presence in his library
illuminates the intellectual world of a Dutch Jewish man who endured
persecution, contributed to the resistance, and rebuilt his life after the
Second World War.
A Book “Not for Sale”
Rabbi David Miller, active in Oakland,
California from the 1920s through the 1950s, produced a series of works on
Jewish family life, modesty, and ritual observance. His books were never sold
commercially. Each copy was “loaned by the author to whomsoever may be
concerned in the subject.” Miller distributed them personally by mail, through
rabbis, or via Jewish women’s groups and his works circulated widely outside
the United States.
After the war, American Jewish organizations and private donors sent religious literature to Europe to support communities whose libraries had been destroyed. English‑language texts were common in Dutch Jewish households, where multilingualism was widespread. This volume likely reached Emanuel de Metz through such channels of post‑war reconstruction and communal support.
Contents and Emphases
The Secret of the Jew reflects Miller’s characteristic blend of moral instruction and practical guidance. A substantial portion is devoted to the mikvah (A bath in which certain Jewish ritual purifications are performed), including numerous illustrations and arguments for its accessibility “in every house.” The work combines religious exhortation with technical detail, aiming to make ritual observance feasible for ordinary families. Other sections address marital harmony, domestic responsibility, and the preservation of Jewish family life.
The Ex Libris of Emanuel de Metz
Inside this copy appears the documented ex
libris of Emanuel de Metz: an open ledger placed diagonally, accompanied by the staff and
helmet of Mercury, symbols of commerce, executed in blue and red. The design reflects his profession as an
accountant and teacher of commercial subjects and is recorded in Dutch
bibliographic reference works. Its presence firmly anchors the book within his
personal library.
Family Background and Early Life
Emanuel de Metz was born
in Borne on 6 March 1908, the middle son of Benedictus de Metz,
teacher of the Jewish community in Zutphen, and Saartje Veldman. His brothers,
Eliazar and Mozes, were born in 1905 and 1912 respectively. Emanuel trained as
an accountant and later taught commercial subjects. In 1938 he married Dr. Dina
Levison, with whom he had a son, Benedictus Izak (1941).
Persecution and Escape
The German occupation brought devastating
losses. Emanuel’s parents, brothers, and first wife were all deported and
murdered in Sobibor in 1943. Emanuel himself initially avoided deportation
because his identity papers carried a temporary exemption stamp (“Sperre”),
marking him as a “Medewerker Joodsche Raad. (Jewish Council Employee). When this exemption was revoked in
1943, he was forced to flee.
Rescue by Dr. Leonardus Verberne
Emanuel’s survival is closely tied to the work of Dr. Leonardus Josephus Antonius Verberne (1910), a physician in Helden‑Panningen who played a central role in a resistance group dedicated to protecting Jews. Verberne used his extensive network to secure hiding places and distribute ration cards. Dr. Verberne persuaded the elderly couple Thy and Marie Janssen of Neerkant to take in the young Jewish resistance member Emanuel de Metz. Emanuel was the first Jew to go into hiding in Neerkant, and over time the number grew to ninety‑one.
Verberne visited Neerkant weekly to resolve
problems and provide free medical care to those in hiding. Among his patients
was Kitty Granaat, who suffered from chronic sinus infections and who would
later become Emanuel’s second wife. Verberne was arrested in 1944 and sentenced
to death but managed to escape and survived the war.
From Neerkant to Lunteren: The
Radiokrant
After betrayal in June 1944, Emanuel fled
Neerkant, found temporary refuge in Arnhem, and, after the forced evacuation of
that city, arrived in Lunteren. There he adopted the alias Emanuel van Thijn and
began producing a clandestine news sheet known as De Radiokrant.
The document describes his work:
“A stenciled leaflet… produced by Emanuel
van Thijn, a Jewish person in hiding who listens to the English radio at his
hiding place, types out the messages, and copies them.”
More than 160 issues survive in the NIOD
archives. The final issue, dated 18 May 1945, is the only one signed with his
real name, Emanuel de Metz, and announces the paper’s dissolution on orders of the commander of the
Dutch Interior Forces (NBS).
“We must start all over again… on a
foundation supported by our old, honest, Dutch ideas.”
Post‑War Life
After liberation, Emanuel returned to
Zutphen in October 1945. In 1946 he married Kitty Granaat, whom he had met in
hiding. He resumed his work as an accountant and teacher and rebuilt a
household in which books once again played a central role. His ex libris, and
the presence of Miller’s privately distributed volume, reflect the intellectual
and cultural reconstruction undertaken by many Dutch Jewish survivors.
Conclusion
This copy of The Secret of the Jew, bearing
the ex libris of Emanuel de Metz, stands as a small but meaningful artifact of Jewish
resilience. It links an American rabbi’s private instructional project to the lived experience of a Dutch
Jewish survivor, resistance member, and educator. The book’s journey from a non‑commercial distribution network in California to the reconstructed
library of a man who endured loss, resistance, and renewal offers a compelling
glimpse into the cultural and spiritual rebuilding of Jewish life in the
Netherlands after the war.
Text Sources
Bij de Amse Pomp, 36e
jaargang nr. 2 (Oktober 2016), article by Jan Kijlstra on Emanuel de Metz and De Radiokrant.
NIOD (Nederlands
Instituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie), collection of De Radiokrant issues
(March–May 1945).
Joods Monument entries
for Benedictus de Metz, Saartje Veldman, Eliazar
de Metz, Mozes de Metz, and Dina Levison‑de Metz.
Biographical reference entry on Emanuel de Metz
(accountant, teacher, resistance member).
Biographical account of Dr. Leonardus
Josephus Antonius Verberne and his resistance activities (translated text
provided).
Rabbi David Miller, The Secret of the Jew:
His Life—His Family (privately distributed editions, 1930s–1950s).
Secondary literature on American Orthodox
outreach and post‑war distribution
of Jewish instructional texts.
Dutch municipal and wartime registration
records (Zutphen, Borne, Amsterdam) for contextual details.
Image Sources
Persoonsbewijs of Emanuel
de Metz (Zutphen, 24 September 1941), reproduced in
Bij de Amse Pomp.
