A Childhood Shattered, a Life Regained
Paul Kester, December 1938
By Paul Kester
The year is 1938. In Germany, Hitler and his Nazi party have been in power for five years. Restrictions and special laws have made life more difficult for its Jewish minority. For me, a twelve-year-old boy, that year’s summer vacation is special. My sister, who’s fourteen, has left for the United States, but I still go, by myself, on our usual visits to our relatives in Westphalia. The visits include train rides, reunions with adoring uncles, aunts, and cousins, and great get-togethers with the local kids. By late August, I’m back home, starting my third school year at the Gymnasium, together with my friend Leo. We are the only Jewish kids in a class of thirty-five but suffer no hostility from either teachers or students. After school, I enjoy activities in the Jewish sports club, continue Jewish religious studies, celebrate birthday parties, go to the movies, and join our Sunday family excursions in the beautiful Taunus mountains around our hometown Wiesbaden. A happy childhood, barely affected by the worries of the grown-ups.
Paul Kester celebrates his 100th birthday in December 2026.