Meyer de Hond attended the Nederlands-Israëlitisch Seminarium (Dutch-Jewish seminary), where he sat for the maggid examination (qualifying him to serve as a rabbi at congregations with under 1,000 members). At the University of Amsterdam he took a degree in the classics. He did not get on with Chief Rabbi Dünner, who was in charge of the seminary. He failed the morenu examination, which would have allowed him to start a rabbinical career. His adherents considered the Board of Examiners unfair and influenced by Chief Rabbi Dünner and raised funds for De Hond to study in Germany. Despite Dünner's refusal to issue him a certificate of observant and proper conduct, De Hond was admitted at the famous rabbinical seminary in Berlin, where he passed the rabbinical examination in 1911. In 1913 De Hond took his PhD degree in Würzburg in humanities and philosophy for his contribution to the explanation about the El Hidr legend and the Koran. Sure 1859 ff.
He returned triumphantly to the Netherlands, but Chief Rabbi Dünner refused to recognize his morenu degree on the technical ground that Dutch candidates needed to sit for the examination in the Netherlands to obtain rabbinical appointments. Meyer de Hond thus became a rebbe but not a rabbi. He worked extensively with Jewish young adults and taught many courses. He was also the coach and honorary chairman of the Betsalel drama society. In 1913 a younger chapter of Betsalel was established to serve children upon completing primary school. De Hond ran a school for review education for this association.
De Hond edited the ’Joodsche Jeugdkrant‘. He wrote several novellas, known as 'Kiekjes' (snapshots), describing the everyday lives of the Jewish poor in Amsterdam. He also instigated the establishment of the Joodse Invalide
In 1942, in recognition of his sixtieth birthday, De Hond received an honorary morenu degree from the contemporary Chief Rabbi Sarlouis.
Meyer de Hond was married. He was deported with his wife and children from Westerbork to Auschwitz. A postcard remains that Rabbi De Hond sent from Westerbork on 9 July 1943, thanking the addressee for a letter he received and asking for a package. Meyer de Hond signed the card 'Your Rebbe'.
//Jewish Historical Museum, Documents collection, inv.nr 1011
M.H. Gans, Memorboek. Platenatlas van het leven der joden in Nederland van de middeleeuwen tot 1940 (6e bijgewerkte druk; Baarn 1988) 588, 590-592 Het Joodsche Weekblad, 4 September 1942//
Addition