The spoon was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Nancy Shanes, the goddaughter of Beatrice Neu Melov.
Silver-plated, brass-colored metal table spoon with a smooth, deep, oval-shaped bowl that slopes up to a narrow rounded tip. On the underside, initials and a year are engraved on the end of the handle, and hallmarks are stamped on the stem. The plating has worn away in several places due to use, and the surface is heavily tarnished. back, handle end, engraved initials: H. S / 14. [Hedwig Sanders / 1914]
No restrictions on access
No restrictions on use
overall: Height: 8.500 inches (21.59 cm) | Width: 1.750 inches (4.445 cm) | Depth: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm)
Spoon that survived Kristallnacht and was brought with Richard and Hedwig Sanders Neu when they immigrated to the United States with their daughter, Beatrice (later Melov) in late 1938. The spoon was originally part of Hedwig’s trousseau, and among the possessions that the Neu family packed in preparation for their emigration from Partenheim, Germany, in late 1938. Before they departed for the United States, they were staying with Beatrice’s grandmother, whose home was ransacked by the German authorities during Kristallnacht, November 9-10. Hedwig, Beatrice, and her grandmother hid in the garden, while Richard hid elsewhere. Many of the packed possessions were badly damaged during the attack. After several days in hiding, Richard returned once it seemed safe to do so.
Spoon bearing Hedwig Sanders Neu's initials that survived Kristallnacht