Logo Image

Helen and Sol Krawitz Holocaust Memorial Education Center

Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center

Logo Image

Descendant Profile

GABRIELLE  WALBORSKY

GABRIELLE

WALBORSKY

(SECOND GENERATION)

DESCENDANT:

GABRIELLE WALBORSKY-HM&EDUCATION CENTER COMMITTEE  

  • DESCENDANT BRIEF BIOGRAPHY BY GABRIELLE WALBORSKY

    Editor’s Notes:

    Refer to Survivor Registry to read Herbert Simon Burger and Anne Dorothy Burger’s Survivor Registries. 

    Refer to Interview Below for an explanation of Gabrielle Walborsky’s discovery of her grandfather, Carl Bergman’s memoir, “The Story of My Life” (October, 1988).

  • DESCENDANT SUBMISSION(s):

    Holocaust Memorial and Education Center Interview with Gabrielle Walborsky 

    Date: October 3, 2023

    Interviewer: Nancy Gorrell

    Q: How did you happen to discover your grandfather, Carl Bergman's memoir, “The Story of My Life” written in 1988?

    A: I always knew I had it. It was in my room in family’s house in Westchester. I had been looking for it for a while and finally found it. I wanted to make sure that my daughter, Charlotte, knew about had it. I originally read it in 1988. 

     

    Q: Did you ever know your grandfather? What was he like?

    A: Yes, I knew him so well for a good part of my life. He lived to almost 99. I was 43 when he passed. I had so many good years with him.

     

    Q: What was he like?

    A: He was extremely independent. He really knew how to live on his own. He lost his wife at the young age of 61 to cancer.  Painful as it was to lose his wife, Helen, he lived a rich and fulfilling life for the next 30 years. He loved to travel all over the world. He loved his family, his daughters, his son-in-laws, and his grandchildren. He led a very active life. He was a big bridge player and art lover. Took advantage of all life in New York City. 

     

    Q: Was your grandfather a religious man?

    A: Religious? Not religious. He did not belong to a synagogue. 

     

    Q: How would you describe your grandfather in his career?

    A: A very successful businessman with two other partners selling and marketing kitchen gadgets. 

     

    Q: How has finding “The Story of my Life” affected you? 

    A: I always knew the story. Our family always felt it was important to know our difficult history. All the details he wrote and the family histories he wrote, I do not recall in hindsight. But to have it all together in a story, it’s a chronicle of the times and our family. 

     

  • Sources and Credits:

    Credits:

    Biography by Gabrielle Walborsky (November 2023); SSBJCC Holocaust Memorial and Education Center Interview (October 3, 2023) Carl Bergman, “The Story of My Life” (October, 1988). Digital historic and family photographs donated by Gabrielle Walborsky.

     

    The Holocaust Memorial and Education Center acknowledges with gratitude the donation by Gabrielle Walborsky of her grandfather’s historic document, “The Story of My Life (October 1988) and the digital family photographs therein.