Bina Kesten

1924 - 2023

WATERTOWN- Bina "Betty" Kesten, 99, a survivor of the Holocaust and a former owner of Kesten's Poultry Farm in Watertown, CT, passed away on October 25, 2023, in Farmington, CT.

Bina Klahr was born on January 7, 1924 in Olesczyce, Poland to Adele and Leib Klahr, a grain merchant. Bina had two younger brothers, Simon and Jakob. The Klahrs were surrounded by a loving extended family and the town had a thriving Jewish population. Bina was a brilliant student and she planned to study in Vienna. They led a rich and happy life until World War II broke out in September of 1939 and their world was upended. Her father was executed by the Germans in 1941 and her mother and brothers were taken to the Lubaczow Ghetto and subsequently perished in the Belzec concentration camp.

Bina and her friend Ruda Fleischer were smuggled out of the Ghetto by Ruda's brothers Joseph and Abey. They obtained false papers identifying them as Polish Catholics. Bina became Eugenia and Ruda became Irka. They volunteered to work in Germany and spent the remainder of the war working in a munitions factory in Herzberg Germany. They were liberated by the American Army in April of 1945. Shortly thereafter, on a trip to Wroclaw, Poland, Bina met her husband Abraham Kesten, also a Holocaust survivor, and they married on November 25, 1945. Their son Leon was born in Wroclaw. The family emigrated to Israel in 1956, then to the United States in 1958. In 1960, they bought an egg farm in Watertown Connecticut. Their daughter Linda was born in Connecticut. Bina and Abraham operated Kesten's Poultry Farm for nearly 40 years. Bina became well known to their thousands of customers for her cheerful demeanor.

Bina was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother, an accomplished chef and baker, a crossword puzzle fanatic, knitter, crocheter and traveler. Bina was a voracious reader and was an intellectual, a thinker and a class act. Bina was a rarity in that she carefully chose her words, thought before she spoke and never offered an opinion unless asked. The epitome of class, Bina set an elegant example to her family who adored her. Bina is survived by her son Leonard Kesten and his spouse Vivian, their sons Nikolas and Alexander Kesten of Wellesley, MA, and her daughter Linda and her spouse Robert Bertolette and their children Henry R. Bertolette, Sarah B. Bertolette and Abigail K. Bertolette of Farmington, CT.

Bina also leaves behind her devoted caretakers Helen Rewa and Genia Gola who cherished her and gave so much of themselves to ensure that she was well-cared for and loved. Her family is and will be eternally grateful to them both.

Bina will be buried next to her husband at Farband Cemetery in Morris, CT on Friday, October 27 at 11 AM. Her family will be sitting Shiva for her at her daughter's home in Farmington, CT on Friday, Saturday and Sunday following the funeral.

For additional information or to leave an online message of condolence, please visit http://www.hickcoxfuneralhome.com.