{"id":10326,"date":"2020-12-21T16:28:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-21T16:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.45aid.org\/?post_type=carers&p=10326"},"modified":"2020-12-22T10:39:55","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T10:39:55","slug":"berish-lerner","status":"publish","type":"carers","link":"https:\/\/dev.45aid.org\/COPYLIVE\/carers\/berish-lerner\/","title":{"rendered":"Berish Lerner"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lerner was born in 1924 in Poland but left as a young child in 1929.<\/p>\n

He became involved with Jewish Relief work towards the end of the war, particularly after the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in January 1945. He volunteered to work for the Jewish Committee for Relief Abroad.<\/p>\n

In July 1945, he was sent to the Windermere reception centre<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He spoke Yiddish which helped him form a bond with the Boys as they shared a common language. He became known to the boys as \u201cBerish der Heimisher Madrich\u201d.<\/p>\n

He organised film shows for the Boys in the largest building at Windermere as he had been instructed in the use of a cinema-type projector and he ordered films from the British Council Film Library. He also organised a choir.<\/p>\n

He had initially worried about how the survivors would react to religious madrichim such as himself. He played a part in teaching the Boys Jewish history and included Divrei Torah in his lessons and socials. The Boys were overwhelmed by the kindness of Lerner and other staff.<\/p>\n

After Windermere, he moved to the hostel in Liverpool<\/a>, and later joined staff at the Jewish Temporary Shelter in the East End of London, where a transport of survivors arrived from Prague.<\/p>\n

He met his wife Etta Zelovic, one of the Boys, at the Jewish Shelter<\/a>, and they married in 1947.<\/p>\n

They later settled in Israel.<\/p>\n

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