Ber Leiba Abramovich (24.10.1909, Smolensk) – shoemaker.
Leiba Ber was born into the family of Abram Osherovich Ber (1876, Vilna – killed by the Nazis in 1941, Daugavpils), a labourer, and Glika Itzikovna Ber (1875, Valka – killed by the Nazis in 1941, Daugavpils), a housewife.
Leiba Ber attended two years of Smolensk Gymnasium (1918–1920), intil in 1921, his family moved to Dvinsk (Daugavpils).
In 1923–1935 Leiba Ber worked as a shoemaker in Svirsky’s workshop. In 1935–1936 – served in the Latvian Army. After that, in 1936–1941 he returned to work at Svirsky’s workshop.
In 1941–1945 Leiba Ber fought in World War II as a combat engineer unit commander (sergeant of the 43rd Guards Division, 121st Regiment). He was wounded in action and received the following medals:
For Courage
For the Defence of Moscow
For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945)
Various jubilee awards.
After demobilisation, Leiba Ber moved to Riga, where he worked as a shoemaker at the Rīgas Drēbnieks artel (1945 -1951) and at the Erglis factory, which was renamed Rekords in 1971 (1951 -1971).
Leiba Ber was married to Pesiya Borisovna Ber (née Fainveits) (born 1913, Daugavpils), with whom he had a daughter Khana Leibovna Gasulis (née Ber) (born 1946, Riga).
In 1972, Leiba Ber was granted permission to emigrate to Israel, where his wife’s sister Yeita Borisovna Gimelfarb (née Fainveits) (1923, Daugavpils – 1972, Tel Aviv) had been living with her husband Getzl Abramovich Gimelfarb (who had emigrated from Poland to Palestine in 1946). His wife’s brother, Grigory Borisovich Fainveits (born 1931, Daugavpils), had also been in Israel since 1969.
Family:
Abram Osherovich Ber (1876–1941) – father
Glika Itzikovna Ber (1875–1941) – mother
Sara Abramovna Ber (born 1924 – killed by the Nazis in 1941, Daugavpils) – sister
Ruvim Abramovich Ber (born 1905, Smolensk) – brother
Yaakov Abramovich Ber (1913, Kharkiv – 1951, Riga) – brother
Pesiya Borisovna Ber (née Fainveits) (born 1913) – wife
Khana Leibovna Gasulis (née Ber) (born 1946) – daughter
Getzl Abramovich Gimelfarb (born 1921, Łódź, Poland) – brother-in-law