Biography

About Israel van den Berg

Israel van den Berg was a son of Abraham Mozes van den Berg (Steeenwijkerwold 1845 - Rotterdam 1921), and Vrouwtje Moscoviter (Amsterdam 1844 – Rotterdam 1918), who were married 4 April 1866 in Amsterdam.

Israel was born into a large family: his parents had 14 children in total, of whom 4 children have died as babies, even before their 1st birthday and 2 children died before their 3rd year of life. His brother Salomon did not get older than 49 years and passed in 1923; his brother Godschalk Abraham and sister Fijtje have died after the war, respectively in 1956 and 1964. Of 3 children it is not known when they have died, before or after the war or even in childhood perhaps. However, Israel self and his brother Mozes were killed in the Shoah.

He married at age 20 in Rotterdam 23 August 1905 to the 19-year olf Adrianana Wilhelmina de Hoog, a daughter of Willem de Hoog and Adriana Pieternella Houtman and they had four daughters together. However, 11 June 1923 this marriage ended by divorce.

Israel van den Berg, then 39 years old, married again 17 September 1924 in Rotterdam to the 36-year old Elizabeth Christina Roos, a daughter of Johannes Roos and Maria Johanna Kunst. But also this marriage ended 9 January 1934 by divorce.

26 September 1933 Israel van Berg lived in Rotterdam at Benthemstraat 4a. 4 December 1933 he moved to Zwaanshals 310b in Rotterdam, where 3 weeks before two namesake already lived, two daughters of Philippus David van den Berg from Oud Beijerland and Esther Mol: the sisters Judik and Minetta van den Berg. They are not related to Israel van den Berg.

12 August 1942, Israel van den Berg was deported from his home address to camp Westerbork and after two days, 14 August 1942, put on transport to Auschwitz. This transport could have arrived there 17 August but Israel van den Berg was not killed upon arrival. Presumably he was forced to work as a hard labourer; his date of death was established as 30 September 1942.

Sources: City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Israel van den Berg and Judik van den Berg; website www.wiewaswie.nl for the births, marriages and deaths regarding Abraham Mozes van den Berg; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Israel van den Berg and an addition of a visitor of the website.