Kestenberg Archive

LM was born in Nuremberg in 1912 to a Chasidic Orthodox family of Polish origin. Since there was no Jewish school in Nuremberg during his childhood he was sent away to study, first to a small village in Bavaria and later to a yeshiva in Frankfurt. Although LM was warned to leave Germany, he did not want to leave his father and sister behind. When he finally decided to leave it was too late and he was stopped at the Dutch border. In October 1939 LM was taken to Buchenwald, where he remained for the entire duration of the war. He feels that he was discriminated against by the other prisoners because he was religious, and for this reason he never attained any position of power in the camp. After the liberation he went to the children's block and began organizing the boys and praying with them, soon becoming their leader and role model. LM accompanied a group of young boys from Buchenwald to Paris. From there he went with 80 boys to Taverny, working as their chief educator, teaching them about Jewish religion and practice. He remained with the group for a year and a half, apart from a short stay in Lyon, following which he left to join his brother in England. LM later moved to America and is married with three children. He maintains contact with some of the boys from the group and they have met to celebrate the anniversary of their liberation. Much of the interview is incoherent and despite the interviewer's repeated attempts LM provides little concrete information about his own life or the experiences of the boys in his care in Taverny.