us-005578-irn561543-irn563805
type: RecordSet
archival history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
biographical history: Fruma Gulkowitz-Berger (born Fruma Gulkowitz, also known as Frances Berger, 1918-1995) was born on 18 May 1918 in Lublin, Poland to Rochel (née Krynicky or Kriniki, 1885-1941) and Shlomo (1882-1942) Gulkowitz. She had three sisters, Feigel (1915-1942), Grunia (1909-1942), and Brina (1922-1942), and one brother, Ben-Zion. When Fruma was a child her family moved to Korelitz (Korelichi, Belarus), Poland. Her brother Ben-Zion married a woman named Judes and they had a daughter, Chaya (1939-1942). Her sister Grunia had a daughter, Miriam Weintraub (1936-1942). After the outbreak of World War II, the Russians occupied Korelitz. By July 1941 the town was occupied by the German army. Fruma’s family, along with the rest of the Jews in town, were sent to the Korelitz ghetto. Fruma’s mother, Rochel, was killed in the ghetto on 27 December 1941 after being severely beaten by the police. In May 1942 the ghetto was closed and they were deported to the nearby Nowogródek ghetto (Navahrudak, Belarus). In August 1942, Fruma and her sister-in-law Judes hid in the ghetto outhouse with two other women. Around the same time, her brother Ben-Zion escaped with seven others including Murray Berger and joined the Bielski partisans, let by Tuvia Bielski. Several weeks after joining, Ben-Zion returned to the ghetto and rescued Fruma and Judes. They both then joined the partisans as well, participating in acts of sabotage and other forms of resistance. After liberation by the Red Army, Fruma and Murray, whom she met while with the partisans, went to the Kibbutz Turda displaced persons camp in Romania in early 1945. They left in May 1945 and went first to Austria and then the Kibbutz Anzio DP camp in Italy. Fruma and Murray married while in Italy, and immigrated to the United States in 1947. They settled in New York and had two sons, Albert and Ralph. Fruma’s father, sisters, and niece all perished on 7 August 1942 in the Nowogródek ghetto. Murray Berger (born Mordechai Shmulewicz, 1912-1999) wa…
has beginning date: 1930-01-01
has end date: 1990-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had identifier: 3
has or had identifier: 2
has or had some members with language: fra
has or had some members with language: eng
has or had some members with language: yid
has or had subject: 000040
has or had subject: 647
has or had subject: 701
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn563805
is or was included in: us-005578-irn561543
record resource extent: box 1
record resource structure: The collection is arranged as three series: Series 1. Biographical, 1945-1982; Series 2. Writings, 1968-1990 and undated; Series 3. Photographs, 1930-1948 and undated
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: The collection documents the Holocaust-era experiences of Fruma Gulkowitz-Berger (pen name of Frances Berger) and Murray Berger, both of whom joined the Bielski partisans in Western Belorussia (Belarus). The collection includes identification papers and immigration documents of Fruma, Murray, and Murray’s brother Elliot; manuscripts of essays and poems by Fruma Gulkowitz-Berger along with clippings of her articles; and pre-war and post-war photographs. Biographical materials include identification cards issued by the Red Cross, DP identification cards, and Italian identification documents. The immigration documents include a small amount of immigration paperwork and naturalization certificates. Also included are lists of family members who perished in the Holocaust. Writings include handwritten and photocopies of typed manuscripts of Fruma Gulkowitz-Berger. Her writings include essays and poems about the Holocaust, both in English and Yiddish. Also included are clippings of her writings from newspapers and other sources. Folder 2.9 contains writings of Murray Berger, and folder 2.15 contains writings of Y. Shmulevitsh. Photographs include pre-war depictions of the Gulkowitz and Shmulewicz families, the Kibbutz Turda displaced persons camp in Romania, displaced persons camps in Italy, and memorials to the Jews of Korelitz (Korelichi, Belarus) and Nowogródek (Navahrudak, Belarus), Poland.
title: Fruma Gulkowitz-Berger papers