Kestenberg Archive

LL was born in 1926 in Lodz, Poland. LL was twelve years old when the Germans invaded Poland. Her father, a Jewish war veteran, marched to Warsaw in defense of Poland. He fought for six weeks and returned severely wounded. LL and siblings were sent to a small village to be with their maternal grandparents. After returning home the family resettled in their ancestral village, Osada Parzeczew, for a year. Food was available from peasants as the family had connections for generations. The family then relocated to Ozorkow, for work in the textile factories. The entire family labored making uniforms and lived in one room. ; 19-4B: LL was born in Lodz, Poland in 1926. LL's father worked in a German textile factory as a pattern maker. When LL was six years old, her mother died and her father married her aunt. LL spent summers in her parent's village, Osada Parzeczew. September 1938, the German Army marched through the streets of Lodz. Her father and uncles had fled to Warsaw. Six weeks later her father returned wounded. Soon after, the family left for their home village to move into the grandfather's home. They had sewing machines so they started making hats to barter food from farmers. A number of uncles were sent away on a transport of men. In May /June 1941, all the Jews were ordered to leave the apartments in Ozorkow for the pig market. Whoever was in jail was picked up and hung in the open square. LL witnessed the hanging, which included an extended family member. After the hanging, they were marched in group to medical doctors. Families had to go together and stripped naked before each other. People were then stamped on the chest, A or B. B was the elderly, sick and children. LL's elderly grandparents received B and went to Chelmo, when they were gassed in trucks. LL and family were taken to the Ozorkow Ghetto and it was sealed up. They lived in the ghetto for one and a half years, until 1942. This was a working camp making fur jackets for the German Army fighting on the Russian front. LL helped her father sew uniforms. In 1942, they were sent to the Lodz Ghetto. LL worked a shorter day and attended a girls' school for up to 16 years of age. She learned Jewish literature, had parties and even theatre. LL's father had jaundice and malnutrition. When the Germans started to liquidate the ghetto, people were forced to write and send postcards from Southern Poland to the ghetto. A young uncle volunteered for a work crew and was sent to Auschwitz. ; People were deceived into thinking the war was ending and being taken for their protection. LL and family were herded into a cattle train and taken to Birkenau-Auschwitz. After a few days they were taken to Muhlhausen Thirengen. LL worked in an ammunition factory for about a half a year with other women. In February 1945, LL, sister and mother were taken to Bergen Belsen. There were piles of dead bodies and no beds. They were told to carry rocks from one place to another. LL's mother died a day before liberation. LL, two siblings and father survived the war. They immigrated to the USA in 1945 . LL married in 1947.