Kestenberg Archive

LS's family lived in Danzig, Germany. Her uncle and aunt were involved in the Henriette Goldschmidt kindergarten training school in Danzig. This uncle and aunt had two sons, one was killed in a camp in France and one was killed in Auschwitz. LS's parents were killed in 1943 in a camp, but she cannot remember the name because she blocks it out. It was a long time until she found out the details of their deaths and in 1989 she received documentation from Yad Vashem. (It is unclear how she survived the war, possibly through being in England with her sister?) She mentions one aunt who fled to Brussels and died when, as a Jew, she could not get insulin to treat her diabetes. LS now lives in New York. She works trying to publicise memoirs of survivors. In recent years there has been work to recognise the Jewish contribution to cultural life in Danzig. They unveiled a memorial to her uncle and aunt, and the interviewee travelled to Danzig to attend the ceremony. It was difficult for her to return to normal life after this trip. LS is not optimistic about the future of Jewish life in Danzig and discusses her opinions on current state of affairs in East and West Germany.