The Charlotte Jewish News - January 2016 - Page 14
Berger Family Ner Tamid Finds Permanent Home
By Jonathan Berger with Kelly
Reed Keeling
Many services now have been
held at the Mindy Ellen Levine
Memorial Chapel in the Memorial
Building at the Hebrew Cemetery.
Visitors are enveloped in the
Chapel’s warmth and beauty.
Light bounces off the wooden
clad columns and the creamy mar
ble. The Memorial Wall is filled
with names of loved ones, remem
bered, regardless of where they
are buried. The atmosphere is in
timate and peaceful. At the far end
of the Chapel stands the former
Temple Beth El ark, made of
veined white marble, complete
with its resplendent golden lions.
Suspended above the Ark is a
beautiful bronze Ner Tamid, an
everlasting light.
But how did the Hebrew
Cemetery come to have such a
beautiful lamp in its chapel? Its
presence is thanks to the family of
Jonathan Berger of Temple Israel,
who donated this family heirloom.
Jonathan shares the lamp’s history
and how it came to grace Char
lotte’s Hebrew Cemetery:
The Ner Tamid was purchased
in the late 1800s by Baruch and
Rebecca Neu, my great grandpar
ents. They lived in Lengfeld IM
Odenwald Germany. Baruch and
Rebecca had three children: Jen
nie, Hugo, and my grandfather,
Alfred. Rebecca died in 1926. Al
fred married Carola Berberich,
and they had one child, my
mother - Renate (b. 11/23/1930).
In 1928, two of the
three siblings, Jennie and
Hugo, immigrated to the
United States. Jewish
families were persecuted
in Lengfeld, however,
Alfred and his family
managed to move to
Frankfurt, and then im
migrate with Baruch to
the US in 1939. Baruch
brought the lamp with
him. The family lived to
gether in New York City.
In 1942, Baruch died,
and shortly thereafter, Al
fred, Carola, and Renate
moved to Vineland, NJ,
where they purchased a
chicken farm. The family
inherited the lamp and
displayed it in a very spe
cial place in their home.
Renate Neu married
my father, Stefan Berger
in 1953. They had two
children, Michael and
me. My mother’s parents
passed in close succes
sion. Carola died in 1969; Alfred
died in 1970. My mother inherited
the lamp, and my parents always
displayed it in a special place in
their homes in Erie, PA.
In 2006, my parents, Stefan and
Renate, moved to Charlotte to be
closer to my family. They lived at
Sunrise across the street from
Shalom Park. The lamp, once
again, found a special place in
their home.
My mother cherished the lamp
The Berger family with the ner tamid.
and its history. It brought back
fond memories of her parents,
grandparents, and life in Vineland
and Germany. Her goal was to
find a special place for the lamp to
be where many people could ap
preciate its beauty and history for
ever. She approached a couple of
museums and synagogues, but
was unable to find the special
place for which she was looking.
My father, Stefan, died in
Charlotte on April 27, 2013, and
my mother, Renate, died in
Charlotte on August 6,2013.
They were soul mates, very
much in love and very de
pendent on one another.
They are buried side by side
in the Hebrew Cemetery in
Charlotte, very close to the
new Cemetery building.
I inherited the lamp and
continued the journey to find
a permanent home for it
where people could enjoy its
beauty and history. As the
new cemetery building was
being constructed with its
beautiful ark, I noticed that
there was no Ner Tamid
(everlasting light) in front of
the ark. I approached the
team that was designing
and building the building,
showed them the beauti
ful lamp, and told them
its story. They felt it
would be a great addi
tion. Today my mother’s
shabbat lamp is being
utilized as the Ner
Tamid for everyone to enjoy
in the building, hanging in
front to the Ark.
I can see my parent’ graves
from the entrance of the
Cemetery Building. It brings
a smile to my face and a tear
to my eye, having the lamp
on display in a special place
so close to where my parents
have been laid to rest. I am
grateful that the Hebrew
Cemetery has adopted this
Hebrew Cemetery
ol Gfealsrf Charloite
meaningful artifact and is caring
for it the way my mother wished.
The continual care of the
Cemetery is the responsibility of
our Jewish community. To make a
meaningful financial gift, to pur
chase a memorial plaque ($1000
each) or to preplan a funeral,
thereby saving your family thou
sands of dollars and making the
transition easier, please contact
Director Sandra Goldman at 704-
576-1859 or director@hebrew-
cemetery.org. ^
Michael Berger at his parents ’graveside.
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