Dr. Martin Kieselstein: Holocaust Survivor Who Turned Memory Into Art and Healing

Dr. Martin Kieselstein, born in 1925 in the city of Târgu Mureș, Transylvania, is a Holocaust survivor, physician, and artist who has dedicated his life to preserving the memory of the Holocaust through art, healing, and personal testimony.

Surviving Auschwitz and Dachau

During World War II, Kieselstein was deported with his family to a ghetto and later to Auschwitz, where he was separated from his mother and sister, never to see them again. He and his father were transferred to Dachau, where they survived until liberation in 1945. His camp number was 70819.

After the war, Kieselstein returned to his hometown, completed his medical studies, and in 1959 immigrated to Israel, settling in Jerusalem.

A Life Dedicated to Healing

Deeply influenced by his father’s illness, Kieselstein devoted his career to caring for chronically ill elderly patients. For this work, he received the “Yakir Yerushalayim” (Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) Award in 1997.

Art as a Tool of Remembrance

Kieselstein created unique works of art from materials such as wood, iron, glass, and everyday objects to express the horrors of the Holocaust. “I don’t see myself as an artist,” he emphasizes, “but I feel an obligation to convey to future generations the consciousness of the Holocaust’s horrors through creations made from different materials.”

One of his most moving works depicts a father cutting off his daughter’s braids before the family was deported to the ghetto, entrusting them to a Christian neighbor. The father and daughter perished, but the son survived and retrieved the braids, which are now displayed at Yad Vashem.

Dr. Kieselstein continues to live in Jerusalem, where he shares his story through lectures and exhibitions — ensuring that the memory of the Holocaust will be carried forward for generations to come.