Rene Berger

 Rene Mendel was born in Budapest, Hungary on September 3, 1883. She was the third and youngest child of Jacob Berger and the former Cecilie Schoen.

Rene’s sister, Rosa (b. 1875) married Sigmund Lichtenthal in 1899, becoming my maternal great-grandmother. Rene’s brother Rudolph was born in 1872.

Rene married Adolf Mendl. They had one son, Kurt, born in 1919. Prior to WWII, the family lived in Vienna, Austria. On or about May 20, 1942, Rene was transported on Transport 22 Train Da 203 from Vienna to Minsk, Belorussia (USSR). Her prisoner number was 164. 

To learn more about this transport see: Transports to Extinction

 This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted by her son to Yad Vashem

Rene perished on May 26, 1942 in the Maly Trostenets extermination camp, Belorussia (USSR). She was 58 years old.

Kurt was about 23 years old when his mother died. At some point he had gone to England and joined the British Army. At this point, his name was changed to Robert Cunningham. After many years, “Cousin Bob” reappeared in San Francisco and resumed contact with our family.