Meijer Duis owned a certified plumbing company in Amsterdam and was also a qualified and certified electrician. In addition, from the 1920s to about 1935, he had a shop at Weesperstraat 1 (next to the Herengracht) selling electrical and sanitary supplies.
Meijer Duis was a fervent sport fisherman and loved the outdoors. Towards the end of his life, he proved to be a talented amateur painter.
In January 1943, Meijer Duis narrowly escaped arrest by the SD. Since he had no hiding place, he rented a small room in the western district of Amsterdam, using a false identification card. He provided for himself by working as a plumber for a plumbing company. In his leisure time, he made attractive metal jewellery and art objects, which he gave away.
One day Meijer Duis was recognized as a Jew by a passer-by in the street and reported to a Dutch policeman who happened to be walking by. The policeman immediately turned him over to the Sicherheitspolizei. His arrest led to the discovery of the hiding place of his wife, Elisabeth Duis-Hammel. The two of them were deported. Meijer Duis probably died in a labour camp in Poland.
Addition of a visitor of the website
For more information, see:
J. Stegeman, Hiernaast zijn ze weggehaald. Vervolging en verzet in de Rivierenbuurt, 1937-1945 (Amsterdam 1985).