Kestenberg Archive

SH: SH was born in Cracow, Poland in November 1940. A few months after her birth, her family moved to Radom Ghetto in occupied Poland. In September 1943, her father died of pneumonia. SH also contracted an illness in Radom. At age three, SH worked at her mother's job; she pasted paper bags. Later in 1943, SH and her mother traveled to Blizyn Labor camp because they thought that it would be safer there. In Blizyn, SH contracted typhus. In 1944, the labor camp was liquidated and SH was sent to Auschwitz, while her mother was sent to a different camp. SH was placed in the children's block. She does not remember crying. After liberation, WD, a Catholic Polish woman prisoner she met in Auschwitz cared for her in Tarnow, Poland. SH learned church prayers and songs; although she was not baptized, she identified with Catholicism. During this period, an adult male sexually assaulted her. ; When SH's mother located her, SH did not want to leave her WD. Also, she disliked the fact that her mother was Jewish. She and her mother traveled and stayed in Lodz and Cracow. SH recalls crossing herself still when passing churches and searching for Madonna paintings in her home. At age 5, she and the family illegally entered Germany; they drugged SH to prevent her from revealing their identity. This was one of many occasions wherein she was drugged. She and her mother did not get along. The family settled in Stuttgart DP Camp in Germany. They were there for two years, and then in Munich for another two years. In October 1949, her family moved to New York, USA. In college, SH suffered from performance anxiety. SH received her Masters at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel and stayed in Israel for ten years before returning to New York. SH occasionally suffers from depression and has sought out psychotherapy. SH now identifies as a Jew, even though she is not religious. Due to her multiple separations from family members, SH suffers from separation anxiety.