Inge Berg was born on March 27, 1929, in Lechenich, Germany. She lived with her parents, grandparents, uncle, and younger sister, Gisella. Her grandfather was the president of the local synagogue association, and her uncle was the cantor. Her father, Josef, was a respected cattle dealer, who had many businesses and personal contacts with their neighbors, Jewish and non-Jewish.
Two years after the Nazis came to power, Inge left public school, and went to Jewish schools in Linnich and Cologne. Three years after that, the Nazis carried out a nationwide program angainst Jews in Germany. After being told by a family friend, she and her family fled to Cologne. When they tried to return, they found that their home had been ransacked and their possessions damadged or destroyed. In May 1939, they all left for Kenya.
While in Kenya, a part of British East Africa at the time, they lived on a farm in the highlands, raising cattle and growing pyrethrum. The conditions were not the best. Their home had a tin roof and cement floors, and their only source of water was the rain. Inge, Gisella, and their mother eventually moved to Nairobi to finish their education.
In 1947, the family came to the U.S., and eventually bought a chicken farm and dairy business in Vineland, New Jersey. Inge took a position in an attorneys office in New York, and eventually married Werner Katzenstien, A fellow refugee from Nazi Germany.
Two years after the Nazis came to power, Inge left public school, and went to Jewish schools in Linnich and Cologne. Three years after that, the Nazis carried out a nationwide program angainst Jews in Germany. After being told by a family friend, she and her family fled to Cologne. When they tried to return, they found that their home had been ransacked and their possessions damadged or destroyed. In May 1939, they all left for Kenya.
While in Kenya, a part of British East Africa at the time, they lived on a farm in the highlands, raising cattle and growing pyrethrum. The conditions were not the best. Their home had a tin roof and cement floors, and their only source of water was the rain. Inge, Gisella, and their mother eventually moved to Nairobi to finish their education.
In 1947, the family came to the U.S., and eventually bought a chicken farm and dairy business in Vineland, New Jersey. Inge took a position in an attorneys office in New York, and eventually married Werner Katzenstien, A fellow refugee from Nazi Germany.