Dr. Lova Gerstein

Dr. Leon Liowa Gerstein was born in Vilna, Poland in 1891 to Gershon

and Miriam. He was a physician and married to Miriam nee Blumental.

Prior to WWII he lived in kovno. During the war was in kovno. Leon

died in 1944 in camp in Germany. This information is based on a Page

of Testimony submitted on 20/11/1956 by his cousin Nachum Levitan a

Shoah survivor

(from Samuel Esterowicz's Memoirs)

My wife's older brother Leon (Lova), a physician, lived permanently in the

city of Kowno, in Lithuania. Because of Poland's occupation of Wilno,

Lithuania's historic capital, Lithuania closed its frontiers and interrupted all

relations with the latter, thus cutting Lova off from the family.

Lova had graduated with a gold medal from the Commercial College of

Wilno in 1909 and, after having served his military service ( as a volunteer

he had to serve one year instead of four ), he enrolled in the Medical school

of the University of Halle, in Germany, where he was caught by the first

World War. As a Russian citizen he was detained by the German

authorities and he spent the four years of the war in relatively bearable

conditions in a German military hospital.

After having received his Medical Diploma in 1919, he started to practice as

a physician in the newly created, independent, democratic republic of

Lithuania, initially in the city of Jurburg, subsequently in Kowno (Kaunas).

Lova got married in the same year as we did, i.e. in 1928, with the very

beatiful Kowno woman, Maria (Marusia) Blumental.

In 1929 Marusia was to give birth to a daughter, who by coincidence was

named Perella, just as was our daughter born in the same year.

A European in his manners and cultural demands in the best meaning of

this term, Lova was also distinguished and very handsome - as a couple he

and the beautiful Marusia were (in the opinion of many) an ornament to any

social gathering in Kowno.

Even though he had left home rather early, Lova maintained his strong

attachment to his family. Notwithstanding the long separation from them,

Lova continued to be the wonderfully loving and considerate son and

brother, always ready to offer any sacrifice when the members of his family

needed his help.

Lova was accorded the merited authority and well deserved love by the

family, my wife was full of adoration for him.

My wife's other brothers - Naum, born in 1895, David, born in 1900 and

Mula in 1901 all lived in Wilno and worked with their father in the lumber

business. Because of the occupation of Wilno by the Germans in 1915, the

only one of the brothers to achieve a high school diploma was Mula, who

accomplished it after the war. Naum remained single.

More About Lova Gerstein:

Comment 1: Loving son, intelligent man. Very determined and goal oriented..

Fact 1: see Notes.

Occupation: Physician.

Residence: Kovno, Lithuania.

Children of Lova Gerstein and Maracia Blumenthal are:

  1. Perella Gerstein, b. 1929, d. 1945, Holocaust (Dachau Concentration camp)..