us-005578-irn515275-irn522106
type: RecordSet
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Rectangular, striped grosgrain ribbon award with 7 lengthwise stripes; the outer black stripes are narrower than the 5 equally sized stripes: black, white, black, red, black, white, black. The ribbon is folded in thirds and has cut, frayed short edges.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1934 July 13-1944
has beginning date: 1914-01-01
has end date: 1918-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 4
has or had identifier: 2
has or had identifier: 3
has or had identifier: 1
has record set type: Item
history: The ribbon was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Marion Freyer Wolf, the daughter of Leo Freyer.
history: Leo Freyer was born on February 1, 1893, in Lyck, East Prussia, to Selmar Freyer, (1860-1929) and Flora Lewinsky, born on October 15, 1863, in Preussisch-Stargard, Poland. Selmar had eleven siblings. Leo’s sister, Pauline, was born on September 14, 1895, in Lyck. The family was Jewish Orthodox. Leo was raised in Berlin and graduated from high school there. From 1910 to 1914, he worked in Bordeaux, France, for a locomotive manufacturer. He returned to Germany to serve in World War I (1914-1918.) While stationed in Koenigsberg, East Prussia, he was invited to the home of Max Lichtenstein, a prominent Jewish lawyer, City Council member, and head of the Kant society of B’nai Brith. In 1920, Leo married Max’s daughter, Eva. Eva had a sister, Kaethe, and a brother, Erwin. The couple settled in Berlin and Leo opened a button and buckle factory. They had 2 daughters, Ulla (Ursula Brigitte), born on December 17, 1921, and Marion, born on July 18, 1925. Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933, and increasingly severe sanctions were enacted against Jews. There was a boycott of Jewish businesses in April 1933, and Leo began to lose customers. In 1937, new taxes were imposed upon Jews and the family furniture was confiscated to pay them. In the spring of 1938, Leo applied for visas to emigrate to the United States. He began looking for family members in the US who could sponsor them. With the assistance of the National Council of Jewish Women in New York, Leo found a first cousin, Max Lindner, living in Cleveland, Ohio. In May, Max submitted an affidavit of support and on November 28, 1938, the US Consulate placed the Freyers on a waiting list. In December, the Consulate rejected the affidavit on the grounds that Lindner, at age 65, was too old to guarantee the family financial support. Leo attempted to procure transit visas to England and Cuba without success. A nephew of Lindner, Carlos Israels, submitted an affidavit and in July 1939, the Consulate notified Leo tha…
identifier: irn522106
is or was included in: us-005578-irn515275
record resource extent: overall: Height: 1.875 inches (4.763 cm) | Width: 1.125 inches (2.858 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: WWI service ribbon, known as the Hindenburg Cross, awarded to Leo Freyer, a German Jewish veteran of the Austro-Hungarian Army, World War I. The medal was established by President von Hindenburg in July 1934 to honor German participants of the Great War. Individuals had to apply to the government to receive the medal. It was the only medal issued by the Third Reich to honor veterans of that war. As the Nazi dictatorship increased its persecution of Jews after coming to power in 1933, Leo decided to leave the country with his wife, Eva, and their 2 daughters, Ulla, then 12, and Marion, 8. He found relatives in the United States who agreed to sponsor the family so they could obtain visas. The first affidavit submitted in 1938 was rejected by the US consulate, but a second relative's pledge was accepted. They were at the embassy for the mandatory physicals on the day Germany invaded Poland, the beginning of World War II, and told to return later. They received the visas September 5 and sailed from Rotterdam for New York on November 22. Nearly all of their family members who remained in Germany were murdered during the Holocaust.
title: Honor Cross of the World War 1914/1918 ribbon awarded to a German Jewish soldier