The Memories Haunt Me: Holocaust Survivor Dr. Martin Kizelstein Shares His Story

Dr. Martin Kizelstein, born in 1925 in the city of Târgu Mureș, Transylvania, is a Holocaust survivor, doctor, and artist who dedicated his life to preserving the memory of the Holocaust through creation, medicine, and personal storytelling.

During World War II, Kizelstein was sent with his family to the ghetto, and later to Auschwitz where he was separated from his mother and sister, whom he never saw again. He and his father were transferred to the Dachau camp, where they survived until liberation in 1945. His camp number was 70819. After the war, he returned to his city, completed medical studies, and in 1959 immigrated to Israel and settled in Jerusalem.

Influenced by his father’s illness, Kizelstein devoted his life to caring for chronically ill elderly. For this work, he was awarded the 'Distinguished Citizen of Jerusalem' prize in 1997.

Kizelstein created unique art from materials like wood, iron, glass, and everyday objects to convey the horrors of the Holocaust. "I do not see myself as an artist," he emphasizes, "but feel obliged to convey the consciousness of the Holocaust’s horrors to future generations through creation with various materials."

One of his most moving works depicts a father who cut his daughter’s braids before they were sent to the ghetto and entrusted them to a Christian neighbor. The father and daughter perished, but the son survived and returned the braids, which are now displayed at Yad Vashem.

Dr. Kizelstein continues to live in Jerusalem, sharing his story in lectures and exhibitions to ensure the memory of the Holocaust is preserved for future generations.