Researcher: Rahul Kissoon, Stuyvesant '26

Morris Lanser was born on August 12, 1912 in New York City, albeit the exact location is unknown. His parents, both from Bulgaria, likely immigrated to America sometime between 1903 and 1912, considering the mass surge in Bulgarian immigration during that period. It is also likely that his parents passed through Ellis Island on their way to America. While we do not know much about his upbringing other than the fact that his parents and he were Jewish, we do know a lot about the professions he worked, which were quite plentiful. He was an actor, a theatre worker, and a pleater, specializing in textile and leather. We can infer from these professions, along with the statistics of the time, that he may not have attended or completed high school. Education was still not compulsory everywhere, and many lower-income families such as Lanser’s often didn’t have the money to fund high school, and needed their kid(s) to work to provide income for the house. He also did not work specialized jobs, suggesting he may not have had a high level of education. Unfortunately, information about his schooling in America is not available. Neither is information about what unions he may have been a part of, but based on his professions we can make some logical inferences. Most of his jobs were related to the theatre or to acting somehow, and there were 2 major groups active in the 20s: The Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). These unions were popularized after their strike in 1919 against unfair conditions, and would continue working across America during the 1920s, when Lanser would have likely been working.

He became a member of the Communist Party in America, likely influenced by several factors, including his previous experience in unions. Beyond that, considering his parents were immigrants from Bulgaria that probably came here for better economic conditions, the poor working conditions and wages of America probably made him very discontent with the system. While Bulgaria had leftist movements, it was more likely he was influenced by the American communist party which was often connected to immigrants and provided pathways for them to join. Not only was he communist though, but he was also anti-fascist, maybe even seeing communism as the rebuttal to fascism abroad. This would later inspire his decision to enlist in the army to fight in the Spanish Civil War. He was not interested in solely aiding the Loyalists, but rather in fighting fascism overall. He would begin this goal on February 20th, when the lle de France set sail, arriving in Spain on March 7th. He enlisted in 1937, and at the time he had been living at 327 Rodney Street, Brooklyn, NY. During the war, he served with multiple units in various positions. He served for the XN and Washington BN groups. He was in Quinto and Belchite, and was a plana mayor, a command staff member. He was even a Sergeant, hospital commissioner, and Machine Gun Company commander. This final role was crucial, as he was responsible for coordinating machine gun attacks, ensuring sufficient ammunition, training other soldiers, and collaborating with other units to ensure success. He was likely very competent, which is why he was promoted to such a high role, one that was also occupied by other significant figures like Oliver Law. During the war, he fought in five different battles across five locations. Despite the prolonged fighting, he and his fellow soldiers were often unaware of the political context, which made the experience even more intense. He was also very close with his fellow soldiers, who developed nicknames for him that many confuse for his actual name. He was known as Manny or Lances. We don’t know much about his personal experience during the war as any letters he wrote were not recovered.

After the war, he returned to America aboard The Ausonia on December 20, 1938. Despite such lengthy fighting, he enlisted into WWII on May 1, to continue to fight for America and against racism generally. We know that the soldiers with whom he worked were very enthusiastic, participating in challenge tournaments to prepare for the war, and that they were being trained very hard, which he suspected was because they were expected to fight on the second front soon. Based on a letter he wrote, there was some collaboration between his group of soldiers and the Soviet Union, as he said that not only was the knowledge of American soldiers increasing, but so was that of Soviet soldiers.

He survived the war and likely benefited from legislative action such as the G.I. Bill, which granted unemployment insurance to veterans and assisted them with college and housing. We don’t know the full extent to which he utilized the bill’s advantages. He unfortunately passed on December 24, 1999, and was later cremated. Despite that, his legacy continues on with his wife Lillian, and their children Mark and Stephen Lanser. While this is difficult to confirm, it is reported that he always brought positive energy to the spaces he occupied, up until the moment of his death.

Sources

Blocker, Johanna, et al. “Spanish Civil War Poster Collection: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids.” Tamiment Library, findingaids.library.nyu.edu/tamwag/alba_graphics_001/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.


Brooks, Chris. “Founded by the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.” Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, 10 Nov. 2021, albavolunteer.org/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025


Forrest, Andrew. “The Spanish Civil War.” Sidbrint, 2000, sidbrint.ub.edu/en. Accessed 1 May 2025.


“Inglés Diario Bob Merriman Conn Notas.” Scribd, Scribd, www.scribd.com/document/478435750/Ingles-Diario-Bob-Merriman-conn-notas. Accessed 1 May 2025.


Lanser, Morris. Received by Ay, France, 1942. Accessed 24 April 2025.


“Lanser, Manny Biography.” The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, 23 Sept. 2022, alba-valb.org/volunteers/manny-lanser/. Accessed 22 April 2025.


“Paid Notice: Deaths LANSER, MANNIE.” NYTimes, The New York Times, 28 Dec. 1999, https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/28/classified/paid-notice-deaths-lanser-mannie.html. Accessed 1 May 2025.


Sugarman, Martin. “Jews in the Spanish Civil War.” Jewish Virtual Library, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews-who-served-in-the-international-brigade-in-the-spanish-civil-war. Accessed 7 June 2025.