us-005578-irn521434-irn601646
type: RecordSet
archival history: The cooking pot and lid were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015 by Jill Berg Pauly.
biographical history: Gisela (Jill) Renate Berg was born on May 1, 1933, to Josef and Klara Meyer Berg, in the small farming community of Lechenich, Germany, near Cologne. Her father was born there in 1896 to Max and Clara Davids Berg and had a brother Georg. Klara was born on November 13, 1904 in Linnich/Duhren to Bertha Schwarz Meyer. The Berg family had lived in the area since the 1600s. Josef and his brother worked with their father in his cattle business. Gisela had an older sister, Inge, born on March 27, 1929. The Bergs were an observant Jewish family. Max was the president of the local synagogue association. After Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January 1933, antisemitic restrictions became increasingly harsh. Max had to arrange to have a non-Jew run their business.That May, one of Jill’s uncles began removing large sums of money and putting it in Dutch banks. Her sister, Inge, was no longer allowed to go to the public school and was sent to live with her grandmother where there was a Jewish school she could attend. Warned by neighbors of the impending Kristallnacht pogrom of November 9-10, 1938, many family members went into hiding in Cologne. Their homes were broken into and most of their belongings were destroyed. Several family members lived crowded into one apartment. They could no longer enjoy such things as picnics, going to the moves, and taking vacations. Gisela was never allowed outside; her parents were so worried about her safety that they kept her indoors at all times. The following week, Jill's father, his brother, George, and cousin, Ernest, fled to the Netherlands to escape arrest. They were imprisoned upon their arrival for illegal entry. The police told Herman Meyer, Klara’s brother and a resident of Holland, that the men were going to be deported back to Germany the next day. Herman contacted Maurice Silversmit, a leader in the Jewish community in Rotterdam. He told Herman to confront the police and tell them that written permission from The Hague was needed…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: a. Well used, deep, circular, metal cooking pot with a flared rim and a fitted lid (b), with dark red enamel paint on the exterior and gray with white speckles on the interior. Two c-shaped handles are attached to both sides just below the rim. A ridge at the base of the rim interior supports the lid when in use. b. Well used, circular, convex metal lid with a raised rim for a pot (a), with dark red enamel paint on the top and gray with white speckles underneath. A c-shaped handle is attached to the top center.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: approximately 1939 June
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn601646
is or was included in: us-005578-irn521434
record resource extent: a: Height: 6.000 inches (15.24 cm) | Width: 13.875 inches (35.243 cm) | Depth: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) b: Height: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm) | Depth: 10.000 inches (25.4 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Cooking pot and lid brought with Gisela Berg and her family to Kenya where they lived after fleeing Cologne, Germany, in May/June 1939. They used this pot when preparing for Passover. The family was warned by neighbors to leave their home in Lechenich prior to the Kristallnacht pogrom of November 9-10, 1938. Their homes were vandalized and the family decided to leave Germany. Jill's father Josef, his brother George, and cousin Ernest fled to the Netherlands. They were arrested, but their uncle, Herman Meyer, hired a lawyer and the men were detained but not deported. This gave the family time to find a country where they could emigrate legally. A friend got them permits for British-ruled Kenya and eventually seventeen family members relocated to a cattle ranch near Nairobi. When the war ended in May 1945, the family decided to leave Africa. With the help of two cousins in the US, visas were obtained for the family. Gisela, 14, her sister Inge, 18, her parents Josef and Klara, and other family members arrived in Boston in March 1947.
title: Enameled cooking pot with lid used by a German Jewish family forced to emigrate