Artur Berger 1914 - 1945

Born 3.3.1914 in Niederzissen
Died 12.5.1945 in Gusen

Biography

ARTUR or ARTHUR BERGER

1914 to 1945

Arthur Berger was born in Niederzissen, Ahrweiler (district), Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany on 3 March 1914 to Julius Berger (1883-1918) and Josefine Eggener (1883-1941/1942). The Bergers were a longstanding family in Niederzissen. A history of the Jews of Niederzissen can be found in the book "The Long Way. The history of the Jewish families of the Synagogue Congregation of Niederzissen in Brohl Valley", written by Brunhilde Stürmer and Brigitte Decker (ISBN 978-3-00-057515-0).

Julius Steger died in action in France on 11 April 1918. Josefine Steger ran a small grocery store in Niederzissen. She was transported to Łódź Ghetto in Poland and died there in 1941/1942.

Arthur Berger was a locksmith by trade. It is not known when he moved away from Niederzissen but in 1939, he is recorded as living at Luxemburger Straße 37 in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A Stolperstein is placed there for him and his mother Josefine. There are Stolpersteine for his sister Selma Heilbrunn and my father Hugo Heilbrunn who fled to England and survived the war.

On 9 January 1939, Arthur married Cäcilie Zerline Oppenheimer, the daughter of Ruben Oppenheimer and Jeanette Sichel. Arthur and Cäcilie had a daughter named Bella Judis, born 23 January 1940. Sadly both, mother and daughter, died within a month from an apparent lung infection. Records show they were buried at Bocklemünd cemetry in Cologne.

From here on, the story contains some conflicting information:

• According to the Amtsgericht in Cologne, Arthur was transported from Cologne to Łódź, Poland, on 21 or 22 October 1941 via Transport 8 Prisoner 109. A transcribed record from "MyHeritage" says, he was transported from Łódź to Chełmno extermination camp on 14 December 1941 where he presumbly died. Further private research says, he was transported to Chełmno on 5 October 1942.
• Other records from the Arolsen Online Archive indicate a different story: Apparently, Arthur was transferred from Łódź to Auschwitz Birkenau on 26 August 1943. He remained there until transferred to the Sauer Werke - part of the Mauthausen camp complex - on 25 January 1945. He is recorded as dying in Gusen and being buried at Gusen cemetry on 12 May 1945. It can be assumed that Arthur Berger's body was later transferred from Gusen to Mauthausen Concentration Camp and reburied there in a mass grave. 

Peter Heilbrunn

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