us-005578-irn521434-irn607846
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…
is or was included in: us-005578-irn521434
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Stylized, polished, hand carved dark brown wooden bust of a young African male. The figure has a narrow, elongated head with a high smooth forehead with a thick, ridged, bound lock of hair in the center. The hair on the top and sides is arranged in long, ridged rows, which taper into a bound tail at the nape of the cylindrical neck. The face has large, textured, almond shaped eyes, rounded cheeks, a long thin nose, and a deep groove above thick, closed lips. The ears are flat, with long, stretched lobes and triangular earrings. It is attached to an oval base with initials scratched in the underside. bottom, scratched : LK
has or had holder: us-005578
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn521434-irn607846/acquisitions/1
archival history: The sculpture was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015 by Jill Berg Pauly.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
has record set type: Item
type: RecordSet
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
record resource extent: overall: Height: 8.375 inches (21.273 cm) | Width: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm) | Depth: 3.500 inches (8.89 cm)
date: after 1939 June-before 1947 March
scope and content: Carved wooden bust of an African male in profile, with the hair and stretched earlobes of a Maasai warrior, acquired by Gisela Berg and her family in Kenya where they lived after fleeing Cologne, Germany, in May/June 1939. 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, and her parents Josef and Klara along with other family members, arrived in Boston in March 1947.
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn521434-irn607846/alternateIDs/1
identifier: irn607846
title: Kenyan wood bust of an African youth owned by a German Jewish refugee family