Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Kartell-Convent fraternal ribbon with medallion received by John (Hans) Lothar Spanier in Berlin, Germany. This was the only all Jewish dueling fraternity. These colors may have been issued for fencing prowess. The ribbon is embroidered with his monogram and the fraternity motto. The K-C [Kartell-Convent der Verbindungen Deutscher Studenten Juedischen Glaubens] was a national organization that brought together Jewish student fraternities in Germany. Along with other Jewish groups, the K-C was outlawed in 1933 or 1934 by the Nazi government. John, often called Lothar, became a dentist and immigrated to the United States in 1939. His parents, Meier and Charlotte Mayer Spanier, committed suicide to avoid their scheduled deportation to concentration camps in September 1942.
- Date
-
received:
before 1933
- Geography
-
received:
Berlin (Germany)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Lori and Steven Ross
- Markings
- front, medallion, around border, black paint : Ghibellin[i]a sei’s Pani[e]r! / : Per aspera ad astra! [To the stars through difficulties!]
front, ribbon, left side, embroidered in cursive, metallic thread : B. L. Tor .aspera ! ad astra ! L. S. [B. L. Tor to the stars through difficulties ! L.S.] - Contributor
-
Subject:
John L. Spanier
- Biography
-
John Lothar Spanier (born Hans, 1904-1996) was born in Muenster, Germany. He was the only child of Meier and Charlotte Mayer Spanier, who married in 1903. Meier (1864-1942) was born in Wunstorf, Germany, and Charlotte (1875-1942) was born in Trier, Germany. Meier was educated at the Jewish Teachers Seminary (Jüdische Lehrerbildungsanstalt) in Hannover, Germany. Later, he earned a doctorate in German Literature at Heidelberg University. From 1900-1911, Meier served as the headmaster of the Marks-Haindorf-Foundation teachers’ seminary (Marks-Haindorfsche Stiftung) in Muenster.
In 1912, the family moved to Berlin, Germany, when Meier accepted a position as the director of a Jewish girls’ school. The establishment of the Nazi dictatorship in 1933 led to the targeted persecution of Jews throughout Germany. In 1939, John, who had trained as a dentist, left Berlin for the United States. Meier and Charlotte committed suicide to avoid their scheduled deportation in September 1942: Charlotte, age 67, on September 27, and Meier, age 78, on September 28. John settled in New York.
Physical Details
- Language
- Latin
- Classification
-
Awards
- Category
-
Medals
- Object Type
-
Medals, German (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- Circular ceramic medallion with metal backing attached to a striped, grosgrain neck ribbon by a circular tie tack on the backplate. The medallion, 1.5 inches in diameter, is painted white with a design featuring a coat-of-arms surrounded by a black, white, and blue cluster of flowers and leaves, with Latin text at the upper and lower edges. The ribbon stripes are black, offwhite, and light gray. The front left side has the Latin motto in cursive and a floral symbol embroidered in silver metallic and black thread, with offwhite satin backing under this section on the reverse. The ribbon is faded and stained.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 20.125 inches (51.118 cm) | Width: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Depth: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm)
- Materials
- overall : metal, ceramic, ribbon, cloth, metal thread, paint
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The Kartell-Convent medallion was donated to the United States Holocaust Museum in 2006 by Lori and Steven Ross, the family of John L. Spanier.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
- Record last modified:
- 2024-05-30 12:00:57
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn50283
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Also in John L. Spanier family collection
The collection consists of a fraternity medallion, correspondence, documents, manuscripts, and photographs relating to the experiences of John L. Spanier and his family in Berlin, Germany, before and during the Holocaust, and of John after his immigration to the United States in 1939.
Date: 1898-1960
Spanier family collection
Document
Consists of correspondence, documents, realia, manuscripts, and photographs related to the Holocaust experiences of the Spanier family, originally of Berlin, Germany. Dr. Lothar Spanier (who went by John L. Spanier in the United States) immigrated to the United States in 1939, but his parents, Rabbi Meier Spanier and Charlotte Mayer Spanier, committed suicide in 1942, to avoid deportation. The collection includes Rabbi Spanier's memoirs, written from 1920s-1934, correspondence between Germany and the United States from 1939-1942, and documents regarding John Spanier's attempts to obtain employment in the United States. Also includes John Spanier's colors (ribbon and medallion) of the KC Blaetter German-Jewish youth organization.
