Hertzberg Abram Nahmanovich (1928)

Hertzberg (Gertsberg) Abram Nahmanovich (b. 1 October 1928, Talsi) – Labourer.

Abram Hertzberg was the son of Lidiya Hertzberg (née Kagan; b. 1900, Aizpute) and pharmacist Nahman Hertzberg (b. 1896, Talsi – d. 1942). In 1941, he was evacuated to the Uzbek SSR. From 1942 to 1944, he worked at a cotton mill in Namangan. Between 1944 and 1945, he studied at a vocational school in Tashkent. In 1945, he returned to Riga.

From 1945 to 1948, Abram Hertzberg worked as a labourer and assembler at the VEF plant. Between 1948 and 1950, he studied at a municipal services technical college while also working as a steel fixer at Riga’s Woodworking Plant No. 3. From 1950 to 1953, he served in the Soviet Army, rising from the rank of private to sergeant. Between 1953 and 1955, he worked as a locksmith at the Makslinieks Artel in Riga. From 1955 to 1961, he was a calibrator at the VEF factory. He graduated from the Riga Electromechanical Technical School in 1959.

From 1961 to 1972, Abram Hertzberg worked as a foreman and senior foreman at the Riga Lighting Equipment Plant. In 1972, he worked as an electrician at the Medtekhnika factory and later as a loader at the Latvbytkhim firm. Member of the CPSU from 1964 to 1973. He was awarded the Medal “For Valiant Labour in Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of V. I. Lenin”.

He was married to Hena Hertzberg (née Portnaya; b. 1934, Riga). The couple had two daughters: Judita (b. 1959, Riga) and Rina (b. 1960, Riga). Abram’s father was killed in action near Staraya Russa during the Second World War. His brother, Wolf Hertzberg (b. 1924, Talsi – d. 1941, Riga), was a victim of the Holocaust. His sister, Josefa Birnbaum (née Hertzberg; b. 1922, Talsi), emigrated to Israel in the 1970s.

In 1973, Abram Hertzberg received permission to emigrate to Israel at the invitation of his brother-in-law, Ber Portnoy (b. 1923, Daugavpils).

Family:

Hena Hertzberg (née Portnaya; b. 1934, Riga) – wife
Judita Hertzberg (b. 1959, Riga) – daughter
Rina Hertzberg (b. 1960, Riga) – daughter
Lidiya Hertzberg (née Kagan; b. 1900, Aizpute) – mother
Nahman Hertzberg (1896–1942) – father
Wolf Hertzberg (1924–1941) – brother
Josefa Birnbaum (née Hertzberg; b. 1922, Talsi) – sister
Ber Portnoy (b. 1923, Daugavpils) – brother-in-law