Greinam Birger Family

Greinam ben Benjamin BIRGER was born in Kupiskis in 1834 and died in Kupiskis June 1, 1899.  He was married to Nachama Yochevet ?, date of birth not known, who died in the US in 1909.

Greinam and Nachama had six children, all of whom immigrated to the U.S.

Harry Isadore -  Harry was married twice.  First to Rivka Potisvonsky, who died in Vilnius, and then to Batya Cohen.  He had a total of eight children, two of whom died in Europe. Three (Graenum, Samuel and Milton) were born in the U.S.
 Pauline – She and husband Jacob Kanster had five children.
Chaim (Hyman) - He and wife Deborah Krever had four children.
Morris – He and wife Rose Leavitt had two children.
Sarah Ethel – She and husband Israel Shapiro had three children.
Fannie – and husband Joseph Brickman came to the US via South Africa and had six children.

(This information comes from Michael Berger, Harry's grandson)

Graenum Berger

Graenum Berger, the eldest son of Yitzhak Ber (Harry Isaac or Isadore) Berger and Hannah Batya "Bessie" Cohen, was born on April 21, 1908, at 15 John Street, in Gloversville, NY. He had a sister Rachel, born in 1902, and two younger brothers, Samuel David, born 1911, and Milton Eugene, born 1914. The child of immigrant parents from Kupiskis, he distinguished himself as a social worker and humanitarian in the struggle to obtain the release of the Ethiopian Jews to immigrate to Israel. He was the author of many works including Graenum and Rescue the Ethiopian Jews! A Memoir, 1955-1995. He passed away March 31, 1999.

His father, Harry Isaac Berger, was born in 1869 and was one of the six children of Graenum Falk and Nachama Yochevet Berger, that included Hyman, Morris, Pauline, Sarah Ethel and Fannie. All these children came to America.  Their mother, Nachama Yochevet, came to America with her unmarried daughter Pauline,  in 1898.

Harry Isaac Berger married Riva Fine in 1891, had two children, Shifrah "Sadie", born 1892, and Moses "Morris", born 1894, before his wife died in 1895. Later in 1895, he married Graenum's mother, Hannah Batya "Bessie" Cohen, born 1875, in Vilna, who was raised by her uncle and aunt Rabbi Wolf and Batya Cohen.

 


This photo was probably taken in Vilna after 1895 and is of Harry Isaac Berger and his new wife Hannah Batya "Bessie" Cohen with his two children, Sadie and Morris, from his first wife.

 

 

 

Harry Isaac Berger's mother, Nachama-Yochevet Berger, is shown in the photo to the right, which was probably taken at the same time as the photo above.



The photograph to the left was taken of Harry Isaac Berger in Houtzdale, PA, in 1906, before he and his family moved to Gloversville, NY. Note the photograph on the table beside him and his coat which is too small to close properly.


 

 

 

This photograph of Samuel David Berger was taken at the University of Wisconsin, April, 1931.  He was 19 at the time and was studying International Relations in preparation for his future career as a diplomat.  He later became President Kennedy's first Ambassadorial appointment as Ambassador to Korea and then was Deputy Ambassador in Vietnam among other posts.  He was a fondly remembered mentor to many diplomats.



This photograph of the Berger children was  taken in 1955.  They are from left to right:  Graenum (born 1908), Rachel (born 1902), Milton (born 1914) and Samuel (born 1911). Daughter Rachel was born in Kupiskis and the sons were born in Gloversville, NY.

In the following photograph taken by Graenum's wife Emma, Graenum is shown meeting the Ethiopian Jews for the first time in Kfar Batya, Israel, in 1955.





This picture was taken in 1965, by Graenum's wife Emma on their first trip to Ethiopia, where they met with Yona Bogale and the Kessim (priests) at the Synagogue in Ambober.

Pauline Berger Family

Pauline Berger was the daughter of Graenum Falk and Nachama Yochevet Berger.  She was the sister of Yitzhak Ber (Harry Isaac), Hyman, Morris, Sarah Ethel and Fannie, and was born in Kupiskis in 1879.  She came to America in 1898 with her mother and settled in Paterson, NJ.  Her marriage to Jake Kanster produced four children:  Celia, Edith, Sarah and Ruth. 

The photo below was taken in the late 1920's and provides a view of three generations of the Pauline Berger family. 




Front Row:  Jacob Kanster holding grandson Harry Hamburg; Second Row:  Seated are Sam Hamburg and wife Sarah Kanster Hamburg, parents of Harry Hamburg; Third Row:  Standing is Pauline Berger Kanster, Sam Schiff, husband of Edith Kanster Schiff, Louis Grossberg and wife Celia Kanster Grossberg.
 
Baby Harry Hamburg later became a three time Clio Award winner. (The Clio Awards are given to reward creative excellence in advertising and  design).
The photo is contributed by Harry Hamburg, grandson of Pauline Berger Kanster, in memory of his Berger family.

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