Kestenberg Archive

MN was born in Otwock, Poland. He studied mathematics at Warsaw University and spent the year 1936-1937 studying Hebrew literature at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He returned to Poland when his father became ill to help with the family business. In 1937 MN married his wife against his parents' wishes, but they later accepted her. In 1939 his daughter Ruthie was born. In 1940 the family moved into the Otwock ghetto. MN worked as a watchman at a German furniture warehouse and at the Zofiowcka scientific institute and mental institution. In 1942 he placed his daughter in a Polish orphanage. MN managed to escape deportation to Treblinka and again escaped from the Karczed labor camp, fleeing to the Warsaw ghetto. In 1944 MN and his wife were in hiding in Warsaw. Hearing rumors that the Germans were taking away children from the orphanages they arranged for a contact to bring Ruthie to Warsaw one month before the city was liberated. At first Ruthie was very antisemitic and said Polish prayers every day. After the liberation they returned to Otwork, where MN tried to find work. They also lived in Lublin, Helm and Lodz before leaving for Czechoslovakia in 1946. After this they spent a period in Landsberg DP camp and in 1946 settled in Belgium. In 1950 the Korean War made MN's wife nervous that there would be another war in Europe and so the family left for America. MN established his own business and prospered financially. He has a very argumentative relationship with his wife. Both MN's wife and daughter have suffered from depression and his daughter has been in therapy for more than a decade, although MN sees no improvement in her condition. The interviewer asks for details about Ruthie's childhood but MN does not remember much since he was rarely at home, always struggling to support the family.