De Metz family. Collection

Adolf De Metz was born in Antwerp, Belgium, on 28 April 1888. He held Belgian nationality and became a school teacher. On 7 April 1914 he married the Dutch-Jewish Jeanette De Metz who had been born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 16 March 1887. In 1903, Jeannette had emigrated to Belgium where she first lived in Schaerbeek, Brussels. In February 1914, she had moved to Antwerp. During World War I, Adolf and Jeannette fled to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where their oldest son Benjamin was born on 11 January 1915. Second son Henri was also born in the Netherlands, in Zwolle, on 25 August 1918. The De Metz family then returned to Antwerp, Belgium, where youngest son Jacques was born on 8 October 1921. The De Metz family still lived in Antwerp when Nazi-Germany invaded Belgium on 10 May 1940. Although the family had to obey anti-Jewish laws such as wearing the yellow badge, their Belgian nationality initially protected them from deportation. However, in the night of 3 on 4 September 1943, the Nazis organised a new raid aiming at Jews holding Belgian nationality. This Aktion Iltis led to the arrest of hundreds of men, women and children all over the country. Adolf De Metz, his wife Jeanette De Metz and their two youngest sons Jacques and Henri were among those arrested. From the Dossin barracks, the De Metz family sent a request for help to their son Benjamin, asking for clothes and food. On 20 September 1943 all four were deported from Mechelen to Auschwitz-Birkenau via Transport XXII B. Adolf, Jeanette, Henri and Jacques De Metz all perished. Benjamin De Metz was the sole survivor of his family. He had married non-Jewish Leonia Verhiest (b. 20/02/1916 in Antwerp, Belgium) and no longer lived at home. Both factors combined protected Benjamin from deportation. He and his wife would have two sons. Benjamin De Metz passed away in 1998.

Robert De Metz, son of Benjamin De Metz, delivered copies of the document and both photos in this collection to Kazerne Dossin in 2013.

Robert De Metz, son of Benjamin De Metz, 2013