As published in The New York Times on February 12, 1995 by Joyce Jones
Schlaraffia is unlike most other all-male
international fraternal organizations. Members, or "knights",
dress up in robes and
silk helmets and meet in halls filled with medieval
paraphernalia. Addressing one another with humorous titles, the
members carry on all conversation in German.Meetings are often
devoted to cultural discussions, with members reciting poems they
have written or performing their own works on musical
instruments. Any mention of religion, politics or business is
forbidden. Humor and friendship and an appreciation of the arts -
not necessarily Germanic - are stressed. Rivalry and jealousy
have no place at the clubs' meetings.
Schlaraffia - the word is German - is an idealistic fairy tale
land. Gustav Mahler and Franz Lehar were members of the
organization, founded in Prague in 1859. Today the club roster
ranges from a former Olympian to opera singers, artists,
engineers, inventors and master chefs who follow the guidelines
laid down by a group of German performers, the founders of the
first Schlaraffia.
Worldwide, there are 11,000 members in 258 chapters, with 915
members in the United States and 100 in New Jersey. A 15-member
board of directors represents five zones: North America, Latin
America, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The group is based in
Berne. New Jersey has three Schlaraffia clubs: Newarka in Dover,
Portus Betsiae in Plainfield, and Totowa in Clifton.
Members of the modern Schlaraffia follow the same tradition as
the club founders, poking fun at nobility, even inducting
themselves into knighthood. Beginning as a page, a member moves
on to the rank of squire and then, with a lavish presentation,
becomes a knight. "We think of ourselves as the last knights of
romantic 13th and 14th centuries," said H. Werner Seher, a member
of the Newarka chapter who was president of the North American
Region.
The emphasis is on entertainment, but only wich is culturally
sound, nothing that remotely borders on coarse humor. And yet
this fraternal group has had to ward off threats from monarchies,
along with attemps at annihilation by the Nazis and the
Communists.
"Schlaraffia is an idealistic organization based on friendship
and tolerance," Mr. Seher said. "We belive that the human being
counts; we don't care where a man prays or what his politics are,
only that he performs within our circle."
Mr. Seher, who represented Germany in water polo at the 1956
Olympics in Australia, added: "I used to think sports were a
unifying force, but no more." There is no other group quite like
the Schlaraffia, he said. It was a lack of tolerance that spurred
its founding, Mr. Seher said. "In Prague a high society arts
club, Arcadia, who numbered among its members nobility from the
Habsburg monarchy, rejected the membership of Albert Eilers, who
later was selected by Wagner to sing the role of Fasolt in
Bayreuth. His fellow German artists, performers at the German
Theater in Prague, saw the rejection as a wanton act of
snobishness and promptly formed their own club, the first
Schlaraffia."
But over the years, seemingly harmless entertainment at the
meetings has been viewed as suspect. In 1935, Hitler directed the
Schlaraffia fraternities in Germany, some 144 strong, to rid
their clubs of Jewish members. Mr. Seher said: "The Schlaraffias
circumvented Hitler's orders to remove Jews from the membership
list by writing a letter to our Jewish friends telling them: 'You
are no longer formally on the membership list, but, of course, as
usual, we'll see you Monday night at the meeting.'"
The Schlaraffia clubs did not heed Hitler's follow-up demand that
they voluntarily disband. Then in 1937, Hitler ordered that the
Schlaraffia meeting rooms be trashed and the books burned.
After the war, members in Eastern Europe had to meet secretly
because the clubs were outlawed by the Communists.
Recently, representatives from Schlaraffia clubs worldwide held
their convention in Vienna. Travelling to Prague for the first
time since 1937, the organization's members were allowed back
inside the former German Theater, now the Czech State Opera
House. Vaclav Havel, the President of the Czech Republic
"graciously granted our request," Mr. Seher said.
"When the orchestra played selections from the Schlaraffia lieder
book, our members rose and with tears in their eyes sang with
emotion that reflected what it meant to be back where our group
was founded," Mr. Seher said.
The medieval aspect of the organization requires some getting
used to, members said, recalling their first encounter with the
group. In the ornate meeting room, dominated by a throne and wall
hangings that include banners, coats of arms and crests, they
remembered that as prospective members they had been greeted by
men attired in cloaks heavily decorated with medals, wearing
helmets and carrying swords.
Mr. Seher said that at his first meeting he attended, 20 years
ago, he thought: "How can these serious gentleman act so silly?"
He continued: "But then I saw that the artistic part was done
within a framework of mimicking the medieval times when they gave
out medals and stars for everything. It was all done with great
humor."
Members are addressed as Ritter (knight) followed by names that
are a play on their profession or hobby. Victor Symonette, a
conductor in New York, is Ritter Diathon der Takvolle, someone
who is tactful and has a sense of musical beat; Fred Zant, a
retired engineer and a schlaraffia officer, answers to Ritter
Poligonius, signifying a many-sided genius.
Mr. Symonette said: "At first the pomp is an estrangement, and
you think these men are acting foolishly. Once you understand
that it is a way of moving away from what we call a 'profane'
world, into an idealistic one, it then takes on a different
sense."
Herbert Bruckner, a custom tailor who has been a member for 38
years, added: "It's an interesting way to back away from everyday
life and step into culture. The remarkable thing is that age
doesn't make a difference; people come from all walks of
life."
Before joining the Schlaraffia, Peter Burboeck thought he wasn't
literary enough for a highly literate group. That all changed
after attending a few meetings of the Newarka chapter. "Not
everyone is a great concert player or orator," Mr. Burboeck said,
"but the Schlaraffia accepts people the way they are. Suddenly,
whether in music or art, you discover you can do something you
thought you weren't able to do."
As befitting a club whose members value a sense of humor, the
position of court jester is an important one. Fred Ruebel, known
as Ritter Ambassador, who works in the construction business,
holds that honor in the Newarka chapter because of his quick
wit.
Commenting on his longevity as a member, Mr. Seher said: "What
happens in the Schlaraffia is that it becomes a part of your life
like developing a sense of humor. Things that would have upset me
20 years ago, I now can see their humorous side."
© The New York Times
