Zdenko Bergl (M / Croatia, 1929-2016), Holocaust survivor

Zdenko "John" Bergl (M / Yugoslavia, 1929-2016), Holocaust survivor.

• Friend of Henry Winkler, Henry Artz and Evelyn Artz (his future wife).

• KEYWORDS : <Refugees> <Slovenia> <Italy> <Hidden Children>

Biography

Zdenko Bergl was born August 29, 1929 at Sv. Ivan Zaban (near Zagreb), Croatia. During the war, the family moved to Slovenia and from there to Italy. They were sent to "confino libero" at Concordia sulla Secchia (near Modena) where they stayed until September 8,1943 when Italy was occupied by the Nazis. The family was warned by the Questore (local police) that the Nazis were going to round them up and that they should leave immediately. The local priest in Concordia helped them. He had a connection in Florence who found them an apartment. In addition, the priest provided them with fake documents stating that they were from Benevento (which was already under Allied control).

The family was liberated in Florence in August of 1944, and they were transferred to the DP camp in Cinecittà (Rome) where they stayed until 1947. in Cinecittà Zdenko met Henry Winkler and his future wife Evelyn Bergl. Zdenko came to the United States in 1949 with his parents. Zdenko and Evelyn married in 1954. Zdenko served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He worked as a serviceman with heating and cooling companies in the area of Kansas City.

He passed away on April 15, 2016 in Kansas City, MO.