Daniel Abraham

Chaja Braina Datnowksy
Alternate spelling: Datnowski
Bertha Auerbach
ברטה אורבך (דטנובסקי)

Bertha was born on November 21, 1882, in Libau (Liepaja), the eldest child of Abraham and Bassja Datnoswky. She had three siblings: Ronya, and the twins Liska and Israel.

Known by all as Bertha, she was named at birth Chaja Braina Datnowsky. She appears under this name on her birth certificate, her marriage record, and her university matriculation. Like her siblings, she changed her Yiddish name to a more German-sounding name, possibly while attending university. (Her sister Ronya was born Reveka, Liska was originally known as Eva - possibly Chava -, while Israel's birth name was Isrolke.)

Several variations exist for her date of birth. According to her birth record, she was born on November 9, under the Julian calendar, which corresponds to November 21 in the Gregorian calendar, and to 10 Kislev 5643 in the Jewish one; Her tombstone has a very similar date of birth: 11 Kislev 5643. Bertha however listed her date of birth as October 10, 1882, in both her registration form with the German Consulate in Jerusalem in 1938, and in her naturalization application in 1940.

(data from: The Riga Rabbinate Vital Records)

Note: Dates are from the Julian calendar. This is equivalent to November 21, 1882 according to the Gregorian calendar.

Bertha's mother is recorded here as Gita Rabinowitch, and not Bassja Rabinowitch. This could either be a transcription error, or otherwise mean that she her name was Bassja Gita Rabinowitz.

Bertha Datnowsky, 1897 or 1898

Bern

Bertha - listed there as "Braina" - appears in the register of the University of Bern for the winter semester of 1903-1904.

Register from the University of Bern.

Click to see the full-size image.

(Retrieved from the University of Bern site.)

It is probably while studying in Switzerland that Bertha met Dr. Israel Auerbach. An educator and active Zionist, he was working as a teacher in Bern at the time. He sent a postcard from that city in June 1904 to Bertha's sister Ronya:

Postcard from Israel Auerbach to Ronya Datnowksy, June 1904

To Ronja Datnowsky, Windau, Russland, from Baden Argovie, in Switzerland

Dear Mrs. Ronja!
Although we haven't met, I take the liberty to send you my regards. I hope to meet the dear brother and sisters of my friend [Bertha].
Respectful and kind regards to your parents.
Israel Auerbach

Revolution ?

Family lore has it that Bertha took part in the 1905 Russian Revolution, although it's not clear what her exact involvement was.

Marriage

Bertha married Israel Auerbach in December 1905.

(data from: The Riga Rabbinate Vital Records - Marriages in Libava/ Libau/ Liepaja in 1903, 1904, 1905.)

(All dates above are based on the Julian calendar. The marriage happened on December 24, 1905 according to the Gregorian calendar.)

Berlin

The couple had one daughter, Lea, who was born in 1906 in Berlin.

Constantinople

Bertha moved to Constantinople in 1908, following Israel's assignment as local representative of the Hilfsverein in the capital of the Ottoman Empire..

In 1909, Bertha's mother died, and she got her younger siblings to come stay with her in Constantinople.

Alex Mallat:

"There, Bertha invited her younger sisters Ronja and Eva (Liska) with the goal of marrying them to prominent ("de très bon niveau") Sepharad Jews, together with Eva's twin Israel. It is thus that Ronja was introduced to the Bulgarian businessman Moritz Abraham, and Eva to Ascher Mallah, prior to 1913."

Bertha (2nd from left), with Ronya, Eva and Israel in Constantinople.
Captioned as 1909, but probably 1914.

Bertha, with Ronya, Eva and Israel in Constantinople.
Captioned as 1910, but probably 1914.

Although the captions on these photos state that they were from 1909/1910, they were most likely taken during Israel's visit in Constantinople btween May and June 1914. This was the last time the four siblings would be together.

Berlin

In 1914, Bertha and Lea went to Germany on vacation. Soon after, the war broke out. Because the conflict, it became impossible to travel and Israel and Bertha were separated for the entire duration of the war.

After the end of the war, Israel was finally able to leave Constantinople and travelled back to Berlin, where he was finally reunited with his family.

X, Ascher Mallah, nurse, Gisy, Elfriede (?), Uly, head nurse, X, Ronya (sitting), Bertha. Thuringia, 1922.

Front row: Medi, Tania (?), Ascher Mallah, Bertha.
Back row: Grischa Datnowsky, Gisy, Uly, Lea, Ronya.
Thuringia, 1922.

Bertha with Uriel Abraham, Berlin, 1928.

Bertha Datnowskly / Auerbach - Oil painting, Berlin.

The family resided in Berlin until 1932.

France

In 1933, as a result of the political instability in Germany and the Nazis' coming into power at the beginning of the year, the family left Berlin and came to Sèvres, on the outskirts of Paris. There, Israel directed the Karen Hayesod (the Jewish National Fund) office of France from 1933 to 1936.

Jerusalem

In August 1937, Bertha and Israel left France and immigrated to Palestine, landing in Haifa. They lived in Jerusalem, where Israel headed the city's Keren Hayessod office.

Bertha

In November 1938, Bertha and Israel had to fill out a registration form for the German Consulate in Jerusalem.

Registration form for the German Consulate, 1938

In this form, Bertha gives an incorrect date of birth - 10 October 1882 instead of November 9 (Julian calendar), or November 21 (Gregorian). She does confirm Libau as her place of birth (whereas she only listed Dotnuva as her "Heimat" in her matriculation.

The form does provide a few details about her parents that where not known otherwise. Her father, Abraham Datnowsky, was born on November 7, 1854, in Kovno. This most likely means "in the region of Kovno", since he is believed to have been born in Dotnuva. She confirfmed in that form that the died 1928.

About her mother, she indicated that Bassja Datnowsky, born Rabinowitz on 20 August 1865, in Libau, and died in 1910. About her death, I believed until now that she died a year earlier in 1909; 1910 howeve seems to make sense, as the children seem to have gathered in Constantinople that year.

He hometown being Libau now explains that Abraham, born in Dotnuva in Lithuania moved to Latvia probably because of the marriage; It was the tradition of young grooms to move to the home town (and even to the house) of the bride, at least in Galicia. Maybe the same tradition still applied in this case.

In November 1940, Bertha and Israel applied for citizenship with the British Government of Mandatory Palestine. Previously a German citizen via her marriage, she had been born a Russian national.

Bertha, Lisa Halle (?), Israel Auerbach.

Bertha died in March 1960 (10 Adar I 5720).