Berner Zhenia (1913)

Berner (Rozina) Zhenia (no patronymic) (26.12.1913, Riga) – employee.

Zhenia Berner was born into a family of employees: Shmuel-Herman Shlemovich-Girshevich Rozin (born in 1885, Skaistkalne, Bauska District, Latvia – murdered by the Nazis in the Riga ghetto in 1941) and Khava Itsikovna Rozina (Mil) (born in 1888 – murdered by the Nazis in the Riga ghetto in 1941).

She graduated from O. N. Lishina Secondary School in 1932 and completed two years at the English College in 1934. Between 1934 and 1940, she did not have a paid job and was financially dependent on her parents and husband. From 1940 to 1941, she worked in Riga as a shoe saleswoman at the Riga military trade store.

During the World War II Zhenia Berner was evacuated to the village of N. Alexandrovka in the Zilair District of the Bashkir ASSR, where she taught German at a local school in 1941. Later, she moved to Fergana in the Uzbek SSR, where she worked as a secretary at the City Social Security Office, a saleswoman at Store No. 9, a knitter at the Krupskaya Artel, a seamstress at the “Tailor-Cooperator” Artel, and a personnel inspector at the Textile Combine (1942-1945).

After returning to Riga, from 1945 to 1946, Zhenia Berner was a homemaker. She then worked as a scrap collector at the Riga District Office of “Soyuzutil” (1946-1947), was again a homemaker (1947-1955), worked as a home-based seamstress at the 2nd City Industrial Trade Sewing Combine (1955-1958), was once more a homemaker (1958-1960), worked as an order packer at the “Saule” Sewing Factory (1960-1962), and later as a packing controller at the 1st branch of the “Rīgas Apģērbs” firm (1962-1975). Zhenia Berner retired in 1975.

In her marriage to Vulf Abovich-Davidovich Berner (1907-1960, Riga), they had a daughter: Ada Vulfovna Madrit (Berner) (born 1948, Riga).

In 1973, Zhenia Berner applied for permission to emigrate to the United States, where her brother Irving Rozin (born 1918, Moscow) was living, but her request was denied.

In 1977, she was granted permission to emigrate to Israel, where her nephew (her brother's son) Yosef Aronovich Rozin (born 1949, USA) was living.

Family Members:

Shmuel-Herman Shlemovich-Girshevich Rozin (1885-1941) – father
Khava Itsikovna Rozina (Mil) (1888-1941) – mother
Irving Rozin (born 1918) – brother
Vulf Abovich-Davidovich Berner (1907-1960) – husband
Ada Vulfovna Madrit (Berner) (born 1948) – daughter
Yosef Aronovich Rozin (born 1949) – nephew