Kestenberg Archive

MN was born in Amsterdam in 1934. In 1938, MN's family took in a German refugee- a Jewish woman, whose had been sent to Holland by her parents. When Germany invaded Holland in 1940 MN's family tried to escape- and cross over to England. When they saw the dangers and set of circumstances which unfolded, the family turned back, aborting their plans to reach England. In June of 1943, the SS had blocked off the vicinity in which MN's family lived. As a respected doctor his father was assured safety and protection. He was advised to take his family to the Jewish hospital where they would be protected. However, while on route to the hospital, his family were denied right to continue. MN's father stayed with his family. The family was sent first to Westerbork transit camp. Later, they were deported to Bergen-Belsen. In the camp MN suffered terribly- apart from the harsh conditions, he suffered from appendicitis, a subsequent primitive operation, he developed TB and heart problems- he became an invalid. MN's younger sister stayed by his bedside and helped him immensely. Although his father survived the war, he died shortly after due to his poor medical condition. The family returned to Holland and reunited with MN's two siblings, who had escaped before the deportation. MN immigrated to Israel. He married a Belgian Holocaust survivor and they had four children. MN studied Physics, Mathematics and Statistics in Israel. He taught high school students for two decades and continued his career in computers.