It began with his death certificate. I started searching. I even hired researchers to help me trace Julio’s path.
I kept finding out more. In archives. In intelligence reports. In Hitler’s Black Book. I ignored my husband, my kids. I had to fill in the hole. To unearth what was never said, what I never knew.
Julio had many lawyers, two were named Georg, a correction.
A correction to episode 1, Recovering Julio, is now at the end of the episode.
Original Audio: At time stamp 32:27, “The assessor couldn’t figure it out without the help of Julio’s lawyer, George Richard Albre Israel. But he’d already been deported to a concentration camp. They actually had to send for him to come back to Berlin.”
Beate Schreiber: “Yeah, yeah. I think he was sent to Theresianstadt in nearby Prague and then he had to come back because Reibeholz asked for him and said ‘OK, we can’t Aryanize this property without him.’”
The Correction: In the first episode, Recovering Julio, we mentioned that Georg Richard Albrecht Israel was deported to Theresienstadt but then brought back to work on Julio’s real estate lawsuits. The Nazis needed help to confiscate Julio's properties. But Julio had two lawyers named Georg and only one of them survived Nazi persecution.
It was actually his lawyer, Georg Maximillian Hamburger who was sent to Theresienstadt — where he continued to work on the administration of the Metal real estate — and died at the age of 53.
The other Georg, Georg Richard Albrecht Israel — to whom Julio signed over power of attorney before he fled Vienna — was sent first to the Police Prison at Alexanderplatz and then to the Jewish Hospital in Berlin. The hospital served as a collection point for deportations to concentration camps. There’s a note in the records from a Dr. Eichmann stating that the Secret Police would not release George — meaning deport him to a camp. Georg Israel was to remain at the Jewish Hospital to continue his work on sorting out Julio’s real estate holdings until the work was completed. George survived. And he later worked on the restitution cases for my family.
He died in 1986 in Surrey, England. His daughter escaped Berlin via Kindertransport, his two sons did not survive. Read an oral history by his daughter Ruth Biswas.
A list of some of Julio’s lawyers and assistants who worked for him at Bureau Metal at Kopenhagener Strasse 71 in Berlin.
Henny Brett, nee Boas, born in 1904 in Niederfinow, and married to a Non-Jew Emil Brett, survived. She continued to work on the administration of Julio’s real estate holdings.
Henry Cohn murdered in Auschwitz;
Paul Schidwigowski murdered in Auschwitz ;
David Eltes murdered in Auschwitz ;
Alfred Traube emigrated to New York in 1940.
Translation of Note
Dear Mrs Brett!
Today, I received a message with good news from Herr Dr. Eichmann that I am forwarding to you verbatim:
“In response to your letter dated Feb. 10, 1945, I am letting you know that the Gestapo [i.e. Secret State Police] (Police Counsel Rottau) by phone promised to keep Dr. Israel here as long as he is needed for the completion of the Metal business. The Gestapo will not act before [until] Dr. Israel will be [has been] released by my office. A release of Dr. Israel is out of the question in the foreseeable future .
Signed on behalf of Eichmann (this is likely not the same Adolf Eichmann as did not finish university nor receive a Ph. D.)
Source: Landesarchiv Berlin, LAB A REP. 251-08, NR 402
Research courtesy of Beate Schreiber, Facts & FilesIn the year 1936, Julio’s passport had stamps from Buchs, Switzerland; Dover, England; Belgrade, Yugoslavia; Maribor, Slovenia; Osstende , Belgium; Calais, France; Zurich, Switzerland; Feldkirch, Austria; and Dugny, France.
Post-war Restitution
It is important to recognize that post-war restitution from the Count Lazarus Henckel von Donnersmarck heirs to Julio Metal’s heirs took place seamlessly without conflict, and in good faith.