Alumnus Jeffrey Berger ’74 and his wife Sheri Berger have donated a major piece of public art to University of California, Davis. “Ghetto Wall,” an original sculpture by the prominent California artist and educator Ruth Cozen Snyder, was installed on Aug. 24 in the courtyard of Peter J. Shields Library, at the heart of the Davis campus. 

Ghetto Wall is a bronze and steel monument commemorating the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the largest Jewish uprising against the Nazis during World War II. The work shows six figures in various stages of struggle within parallel, facing, enclosing walls. From a sprawling death figure to those clambering up, with a triumphant mother and infant at the apogee, the menace and tragedy of the walls are ultimately transcended by the indomitable human spirit. 

See a video of the installation below.

The Bergers commissioned the 7-foot-tall by 8-foot-square work in memory of Jeffrey’s late father, Wilhelm Berger, a Holocaust survivor. A plaque accompanying the sculpture reads:

Walls anywhere in our lives, if used for the wrong reasons, will lead to dehumanization and exclusion that will devastate our souls and human rights."

“We are very pleased to make this gift to enhance UC Davis and to raise awareness about the importance of human rights studies and the way art can help shine a spotlight on global rights issues,” the Bergers said.

In addition to the artwork itself, which was completed in 1992, the Bergers have created a fund to support delivery, installation, and long-term care and maintenance of the piece.

“The Library is proud to be the home of this latest addition to the growing collection of public artworks on campus,” said William Garrity, university librarian and vice provost of digital scholarship. “Global Human Rights is one of UC Davis’ Big Ideas, 10 interdisciplinary initiatives through which the university is leveraging its greatest strengths to create positive impact in the world. This profoundly moving artwork embodies the depth of that commitment.” 

The Shields Library Courtyard was selected as the home for the piece as a peaceful, contemplative space in the center of campus. Shields Library is also situated between the humanities core and the new Maria Manetti Shrem Arts District.

Jeffrey Berger holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Davis and a J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. He has worked in the real estate industry for 40 years.