August 29, 1929—February 25, 2013
Jack Berg (Yakov Yoshua Bergazin), born August 29, 1929 in Krasnosielc, Poland, passed peacefully at home with his family by his side on February 25, 2013. Preceded in death by mother Doba, father Shimshon, sister Ruth (Abzug), and his loving wife Eleanor (Menkov). Jack is survived by his sister Ida (Nabozny), son Zachary and his family, wife Debra, beloved granddaughter Danielle, and his daughter Tamara and loving grandson Adam.
Jack lived in Krasnosielc through September 1939, until World War II started and Germany invaded Poland. He spent his next 11 years in labor, refugee, and displaced person camps. In 1950, relatives in the United States sponsored his family (minus his mother, Doba, who perished in the camps). Upon entering New York harbor and seeing the Statue of Liberty, Jack described his arrival to freedom: “This specific day will remain in my memory and the sun, which rose on that morning, shall remain unset until my presence on earth shall terminate.” After a short stay in Baltimore, Md., Jack settled in St. Paul, Minn.
Jack’s time in the U.S. was short lived, for he was drafted into the army in 1951 as an intelligence specialist. Using his language abilities in German and Russian, the army assigned him to Europe to interrogate Germans released from Russian prison camps to get insight into developments behind the Iron Curtain.
After completing his service, Jack returned to Minnesota in 1953. What he described as a “great day,” he became a U.S. citizen. His own words described it best: “I am no more a man without a country. I am a member of the largest and happiest family in this world and I am proud of it!”
Jack worked days building furniture, utilizing his displaced person camp training in carpentry. At night, Jack attended high school followed by earning his electrical engineering degree from the University of Minnesota. During this time, Jack met and married his wife of over 40 years, Eleanor Menkov.
After graduation, they moved to Utica, N.Y., where he worked for GE from 1962 to ’64 prior to being hired by the Boeing Company in Seattle. After a distinguished 25-year career, Jack retired in 1990. He also served over 50 years as a Mason and a Shriner.
Jack always said he was busier after retirement, but he was doing what he loved most — helping others. He dedicated his time and talents to tutoring children at the Seattle Hebrew Academy, hosting families from Israel with sick children seeking medical treatment, and donating his carpentry skills to those that needed his help — just to name a few.
Jack was a man of quiet determination and action who cared deeply about others.
He was a survivor with a heart of gold who loved his family (who greatly loved him), friends, community, and country. Jack will be dearly missed!
Jack Berg
