Berger Otto

Otto Berger Fedur Bruck’s family lived in Ratibor, Upper Silesia (today Racibórz, Poland), where they owned a hotel (Prinz von Preussen Hotel). Bruck served in the German army in World War I, studied dental medicine and worked as a dentist in the schools of Liegnitz. With Nazi activity raising even before 1933, Bruck was fired and moved to Berlin. He continued to work as a dentist for the school system, but not for long. In 1933, when all Jews were removed from government positions, he too lost his job. He was permitted to treat only Jewish patients. On 12 October 1942, Bruck received notification that he was going to be deported to the east. He decided not to present himself, and to go into hiding. He managed to find shelter with some of his Berlin acquaintances, and finally reached the home of another dentist, Otto Berger. After the war Bruck described how the contact was made: “I met Otto at the beginning of 1943 through a mutual friend. When he learned that I was living as an illegal because of my being persecuted on racial grounds, he immediately, on our first meeting, supplied me with food and offered to hide me if I had to leave my present hideout.” Berger continued to hide Bruck for 21 months, even after he had to move twice – once after his home had been bombed by Allied airplanes, and a second time when the apartment became unsafe. As Bruck had no official ID and no ration cards, Berger not only sheltered him, but also provided food and all his needs. He eventually managed to get Bruck a false ID, but continued to shelter him until the end of the war. After the war Bruck began to search for his pre-war friends. He found his former assistant from Upper Silesea who too had moved to Berlin, where she worked for a Dr. Blaschke. Blaschke was Adolf Hitler’s dentist. When the war was over, she was called by the Russian commander to help identify Hitler’s remains with the help of his dental records. Bruck accompanied her and provided some of hisexpertise. Nevertheless, and even though the Soviets offered him to take over the Blaschke clinic, Bruck moved to the American zone of Berlin and in 1947 emigrated to theUSA. He settled in New York, where he lived until his death in 1982. Contact with his rescuer was maintained, and the two exchanged letters. Otto Berger was also from Upper Silesea. He had been born in Oppeln (today Opole, Poland) in 1900. In 1930 he joined the Nazi Pary, and the SA. However soon after he became disillusioned, and began to criticize Nazism. Consequently he was removed from the SA and party ranks. On 11 August 2009 Otto Berger was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.