Chaya-Feyga Berk and Zalman Berk in 1915  (enlarge)

Chaya-Feyga
Berk

Bessie Berg
(before 1936)

Buna-Gitl with Ortzik and family
(click photos to enlarge)

Boruch Glezer & Rachel Gafni

Dvora Glezer Lor
1940

Yosl Berk
1927

Toyba Berk
1927

Berl Berk
1938

• Yosl (Abram Yosl) Berk was born in Trashkun in 1880. He owned the town's only general store. (See a recollection of Yosl/Yoshke Berk in Berl Glezer's memoir.) Yosl's first wife was Bluma Yoffe, born in 1884, daughter of Sholem. Bluma died in Vilna (Vilnius) on 28 May 1910, just months after the birth of her child. Yosl married his second wife Nechama Kaufman, daughter of Kopel, in Vilna. Nechama was born in Adutiškis in 1882, and died in Trashkun in July 1920. Yosl's third wife was Toyba (Taube) Kotsin, born in Ponevezh (Panevėžys) on 5 August 1894, daughter of David and Sheyna Beyla. Yosl sent his brothers Dovid-Itzik, Shimel and Fayvish to the U.S., and he sent his sisters Reyza, Gisa and Mirka—and possibly an additional girl from the Berk family—to Canada. Despite the pleading of Toyba's family, Yosl and Toyba could not bring themselves to leave. They both perished in the Holocaust in 1941.
  PHOTO Berk family's home and store
  PHOTO Yosl Berk at his son Berl's engagement party (1938)
• The child of Yosl Berk and Bluma Yoffe (Yosl's first wife):
• Berl Berk was born in Vilna (Vilnius) on 31 January 1910, and married Yente (Yael) Wisgardisky. Berl was an accomplished violinist, and during the war he worked in intelligence. He was shot by firing squad at the Ninth Fort in Kovno in the Intelligenzaktion (the action against intellectuals) on 18 August 1941. Yente and their baby daughter Bluma survived the Kovno ghetto, along with Berl's half-sister Sheyna Beyla Berk (see below). Yente remarried after the war. She, her new husband, and Bluma emigrated to Israel in 1948.
  PHOTO Engagement party for Berl Berk and Yente Wisgardisky (1938)

Bluma Berk
1947

• The child of Berl Berk and Yente Wisgardisky:
• Bluma Berk, later Shoshana Sarid, was born in Kovno on 18 June 1941. She spent her early childhood in the Kovno ghetto and a displaced persons camp in Zeilsheim, Germany. She emigrated to Israel with her mother and stepfather in 1948.
  PHOTOS Bluma Berk and her cousin Henia Wisgardisky as children (1943-1947)
  PHOTOS Shoshana Berk Sarid and Henia Wisgardisky Lewin as adults
  AUDIO The Moth Radio Hour: "Sisters Forever" ► Henny Wisgardisky Lewin speaks about her childhood experiences in the Kovno ghetto and a DP camp with Bluma/Shoshana. [12:55]

Frida Berk

Sonia (Berk) Propis
1994

• The child of Yosl Berk and Nechama Kaufman (Yosl's second wife):
• Frida Berk, born in Vilna (Vilnius) on 2 February 1913. On 23 March 1934 in Trashkun, Frida married Shmuel Faugel/Foygel, born in 1906, son of Lipman and Nechama Meller of Smilgiai. Frida perished in the Holocaust in 1941.   PHOTOS Frida Berk
• The only known child of Frida Berk and Shmuel Foygel:
• Nachman Foygel was born in Ponevezh on 12 June 1935, and presumably was killed in the Holocaust in 1941.
• The three children of Yosl Berk and Toyba Kotsin (Yosl's third wife):
• Sheyna Beyla (Sonia) Berk was the only one of Yosl Berk's five children to survive the war. She was born in Ponevezh (Panevėžys) on 8 May 1925. She survived the Kovno ghetto and the Stutthof concentration camp, along with Roska Glezer. After the war she worked as an interpreter in Munich, then emigrated to South Africa with the help of her Aunt Pera, her mother's sister. She married Dov Ber (Leyb) Propis, born in Birzh (Biržai), Lithuania on 24 July 1914. Dov had gone to Palestine as a teen and studied to become a cantor. His first cantorial position was at an Orthodox shul in South Africa, where the couple met. They later moved to Canada and then the United States. Dov died in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on 26 November 1990. Sonia died in Houston, Texas, on 13 May 2006.
  DOCUMENT Sheyna Berk's prisoner ID card from Stutthof concentration camp (1944)
  DOCUMENT List of displaced persons in Munich includes Sonia Berk (1946)
  PHOTO Sonia Berk and her Aunt Pera
  PHOTO Sonia (Berk) Propis with daughter Yosifa and son David (1994)
• The three children of Sonia Berk and Dov Propis:
• Yonina S. Propis was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 29 March 1952. She married Nathan Mandell in 1975, and she died on 27 June 2003 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Yosifa A. Propis was born in South Africa on 9 November 1954.
• David M. Propis was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 5 March 1959. David Propis became a cantor like his father, and he married Karen Siegal.
• Zalman Berk was born in Ponevezh on 12 July 1930, and perished in the Holocaust with his parents in 1941.
• Dvora Berk, birth date unknown, also perished in the Holocaust in 1941.

Reyza Berk
1901

Chaya-Feyga Berk and daughters (1901)

• Reyza (Rissel, Rishka) Berk was born in Trashkun in 1883. With the help of her brother Yosel, she went to Manitoba, Canada, where she was later joined by her sisters Gisa and Mirka. In Canada Reyza married her first cousin Max Meyerowitz (born Mortkhel Meyerov on 16 August 1879), and they settled in Selkirk, Manitoba.
  PHOTO Reyza Berk with mother and three sisters (1901)
  PHOTO Reyza/Rishka Berg Meyerowitz with the Berg extended family (~1945)
• The six children of Reyza Berk and Max Meyerowitz:
• David Meyerowitz
• Hank Meyerowitz
• Sam Meyerowitz
• George Meyerowitz
• Goldie Meyerowitz, married Saul Kane.
  PHOTO Goldie Meyerowitz Kane with husband and extended family (~1945)
• Sophie Meyerowitz, married Jack Fingold.
  PHOTO Sohpie Meyerowitz Fingold with husband and extended family (~1945)
• Shimel (Shimon) Berk, later Sam (Simon) Berg, was born in Trashkun on 15 May 1884. He worked as a blacksmith. With the help of his brother Yosl, he emigrated to New York in 1905 to join his brother Dovid-Itzik. In New York on 29 May 1909, Sam (Simon) married Jennie Koch, born ~1889 in Raven, Russia [probably Rovin, Ukraine]. Jennie died in Manhattan in 1941. Sam died in Phoenix, Arizona, on 19 January 1961.
• The five children of Sam Berg and Jennie Koch:
• Etta (Yetta) Berg was born 10 May 1910 in New York. Etta married Meyer Cohen in 1949. She died in July 1993.
  PHOTO Yetta Berg Cohen with three first cousins and others
• Louis Berg was born 7 December 1911 in New York. He married Rose Levy in 1954, and died on 5 September 1999.
• Freda (Freyda) Berg was born 27 March 1914. She married Fred Eison in 1939, and she died on 26 March 2003. The two sons of Freda Berg and Fred Eison:
• James Eison
• Michael Eison
• David Berg was born 15 August 1916. He died on 18 September 1984.
• Jacob (Jack) Berg was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 25 December 1919. He married Bernice in 1950, and they had three children. Jack died on 7 February 1969.

Frank Berg
1946

• Fayvish Berk, later Frank Berg, was born in Trashkun in 1885 or 1891, and became a tailor. With the help of his brother Yosel, he emigrated to the U.S. in 1909. On 27 December 1913 in Chicago, Illinois, Frank married Tillie Lederman, who was born in Brest-Litovsk on 15 April 1894. Frank and Tillie had four children. Frank died on 29 February 1964 in Tampa, Florida. Tillie died in January 1965 in Los Angeles, California.
  DOCUMENTS Frank Berg's naturalization papers (1921)
  PHOTO Frank Berg with his sister Freda Rifkin (1946)
  PHOTO Frank Berg with Ben and Dave Kovitz and Harry Rifkin (1946)
  PHOTO Frank's wife Tillie with her sisters-in-law Freda Berg, Libby Kovitz, and Sarah Karp
  PHOTO Frank Berg's gravestone
• The four children of Frank Berg and Tillie Lederman:
• Lillian Berg was born 4 October 1914 in Chicago, Illinois. In October 1935 in New York City, she married Harold Pecker (born in 1912). They had no children. Lillian died on 27 February 1981. Harold died in September 1981 in Tampa, Florida.
• Frances Berg
• Annabelle Berg
• Harold Berg was born in New York City on 15 May 1919. On 12 April 1941 he married Ruth Liebhaber, who was born in Babylon, New York, on 1 May 1921. They had two children. Harold died in February 1964 in Tampa, Florida.
• Gisa Berk was born in Trashkun in 1886. With the help of her brother Yosl, she went to Canada with her sisters Reyza and Mirka.

Mirka Berg
Cantin, 1947

• Mirka Berk was born in Trashkun in 1892. With the help of her brother Yosl, she emigrated to Canada along with her sisters Reyza and Gisa. She married Joe Cantin in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
  PHOTO Mirka Berg Cantin with her sons Harvey and Oscar (1947)
  PHOTO Cantin family members with the Berg extended family (~1945)
• The two children of Mirka Berk and Joe Cantin:
• Oscar Cantin
• Harvey Cantin, born in Detroit, Michigan on 16 June 1930.

Freda Berk
~1910

Harry Rifkin
1917

Wedding of Freda Berg
and Harry Rifkin (1922)

Rose Rifkin with parents
Harry and Freda (1939)

Libka/Libby with family

• Fratka (Leya Frada) Berk, later Fratke/Freda Berg, was born in Trashkun on 19 March 1894. In 1922 she emigrated to Canada with the help of her sisters, who had arranged a marriage for her. On 2 July 1922 she married Harry Rifkin in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. Freda died on 4 August 1963 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Harry died in 1973.
  PHOTOS Freda Berk/Berg with unidentified children (1910) and with sister (1914)
  PHOTOS Harry Rifkin with children (~1912) and in uniform (1917)
  PHOTO Wedding photo of Freda Berg and Harry Rifkin (1922)
  PHOTO Freda and Harry Rifkin peel potatoes (1930s)
  PHOTO Freda and Harry Rifkin with daughter Rose Rifkin (1939)
  PHOTO Rifkin family members with the Berg extended family (~1945)
  PHOTO Harry Rifkin with Frank Berg and Ben and David Kovitz in Selkirk (1946)
  PHOTO Freda Rifkin with sisters-in-law Tillie Berg, Libby Kovitz, and Sarah Karp
  PHOTO Freda Rifkin with her brother Frank Berg (1946)
  DOCUMENTS Harry Rifkin's military papers (1917 and 1919)
  DOCUMENT Marriage license of Freda Berg and Harry Rifkin (1922)
  DOCUMENT Marriage certificate of Freda Berg and Harry Rifkin (1922)
• The three children of Freda Berg and Harry Rifkin:
• Max Rifkin was born in 1923. He married Lucy Coop. Max died on 11 November 2014. The two children of Max Rifkin and Lucy Coop:
• Jackie Rifkin.
• Naomi Rifkin, married to Jack Chapman.

Rose Rifkin
1939

• Rose Rifkin was born on 28 December 1924 in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. In ~1946 Rose married Morris Appel. Morris died in 1986. Rose died on 14 January 2021 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
  PHOTO Rose Rifkin with her parents Freda and Harry Rifkin (1939)
  PHOTO Rose Appel with her three sons (2019)
• The three sons of Rose Rifkin and Morris Appel:
• Allan Appel was born in 1948. In 1976 he married Pam Bebchuk, and they had two children.
• Brian Appel, born in 1952.
• Fred Appel, born in 1963.
• Saul Rifkin was born in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada, on 19 October 1930. He married Barbara Permack. Barbara died on 14 March 2016. Saul died on 3 April 2021 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
  MEMORY Saul Rifkin remembers meeting his cousin Rosa Glezer Golandski
• The two sons of Saul Rifkin and Barbara Permack:
• Gerald Rifkin, married to Andrea, later married to Jenny Griffiths. Gerald had two children.
• Martin Rifkin, married to Margo, with two children.
• Sarah (Sorka, Sorelka) Berk, estimated birth date ~1896. Apparently, she did not emigrate. The date and circumstances of her death are unknown.
  PHOTO Sarah as a child with her mother and three of her sisters (1901)

Libka Berk
Itzikovich
1927

• Libka (Lipka, Libby) Berk was born in Trashkun in 1900. In 1921 she married Bentzl (Bentzion) Itzikovich, later Ben Kovitz, born in Trashkun in 1897. In 1926 Bentzl emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Libka followed a year later with her first son and her mother-in-law, Yochved Itzikovich. In 1965 the family moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ben died on 8 February 1985, and Libby died on 23 August 1985, both in Toronto.
  DOCUMENT Handwritten invitation to wedding of Libka Berk and Benzion Itzikovich
  PHOTO Libka's departure for Canada with Yochved & Dovid Mendel (1927)
  PHOTO Libby with husband Ben, mother-in-law Yochved, and children
  PHOTO Libby with husband Ben, their two younger children, and their niece Fran
  PHOTO Victoria Kovitz wedding party (1951)
  PHOTO Libby with with sisters-in-law Tillie Berg, Freda Rifkin, and Sarah Karp
• The three children of Libby Berk and Ben Kovitz:
• Dovid Mendel Itzikovich, later David Kovitz, was born in Trashkun in 1921. He came to Canada as a child in 1927. On 21 August 1945 he married Muriel Libin, who was born 20 February 1926. They had three children. David died on 26 February 1992 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Muriel died on 30 May 2021 in Vancouver, Canada.
  PHOTO David Kovitz with his father Ben and his uncles Frank Berg and Harry Rifkin (1946)
  PHOTO David and his wife Muriel and others at the wedding party of Victoria Kovitz (1951)
• Frank (Shmuel Fayvl) Kovitz, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1928. He married Joan Boyd, and they had three children. Frank died in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, on 17 March 2022.
  PHOTO Frank Kovitz as a boy, visiting relatives in Duluth, Minnesota (1937)
  PHOTO Frank Kovitz with his parents, sister, and cousin Fran (~1939)
  PHOTO Frank Kovitz with his sister Vicki and cousin Fran (~1939)
  PHOTO Frank Kovitz and others at the wedding party of Victoria Kovitz (1951)
• Victoria/Vicki (Vikhna) Kovitz was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1929. She married Sidney Jacobs in 1951, and they had one daughter. Vicki died in Toronto on 10 April 1986.
  PHOTO Vicki Kovitz with her parents, brother, and cousin Fran (~1939)
  PHOTO Vicki Kovitz with her brother Frank and cousin Fran (~1939)
  PHOTO Wedding party of Victoria Kovitz and Sidney Jacobs (1951)
• Freyda Berk was born in Trashkun in 1903. On 7 November 1924 in Trashkun she married Moshe Keler/Keller, born in ~1901 in Kavarskas, son of Yankel Keler and Leya. The two were divorced, and on 28 January 1932 in Kovno (Kaunas) Freyda married Chone Bar, who was born in 1910 in Traupis (a town just 6 km or ~4 miles southwest of Trashkun). Freyda (Berk) Bar died in Kovno on 26 September 1937.

II.   Chaya Freyda Berk was born 15 May 1854. She married Leyb Movsha Meyerov (born 4 May 1846, son of Eliash Meyerov).

• The six children of Chaya Fegya Berk and Leyb Movsha Meyerov:
• Abram Yosel Meyerov, born in 1873.
• Dovid Meyer Meyerov was born 9 July 1877. He was a bricklayer, and he did military service from 1898 to 1902.
• Mortkhel Meyerov, later Max Meyerowitz, was Shimel's twin brother, born 16 August 1879. He emigrated to Canada and married his first cousin Reyza Berk, daughter of Zalman Berk. (Their children are listed above, under Reyza Berk)
• Shimel Meyerov, Mortkhel's twin brother, was born 16 August 1879. Shimel died as a child in 1884 or 1885.
• Leyzer Wulf Meyerov, born in 1883.
• Bentzel Meyerov, born in 1888.

❖

PHOTO Several members of Zalman Berk's family appear in this 1927 group photo taken at the Trashkun railroad station.

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• Compiled by Sonia & Johanna Kovitz
• © 2014 Sonia Kovitz & Johanna Kovitz
• Updated October 2022