Gender: girl
School:
School #6
School #6 taught boys and girls who were deaf or hard-of-hearing. Since it was the only school for children who were deaf in the Lodz Ghetto, its students ranged in age from 6 to 20 years old, and were born between 1921 and 1935.
School #6 was located at Ulica Limanoskiego 45. The street name was changed to Alexanderhofstrasse when German occupation began in 1939. See
www.lodz-ghetto.com for a map of Ulica Limanoskiego and the rest of the Lodz ghetto.
Stage 1: Identity
Student's Given Name:
Rela Rachwalski
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants
Status: Submitted 11/10/2011;
Confirmed
| Researcher:
cknights
Birth Date:
1934-09-06
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants
Status: Submitted 11/10/2011;
Confirmed
| Researcher:
cknights
Ghetto Street Address:
Legionow, 63
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants
Status: Submitted 11/10/2011;
Confirmed
| Researcher:
cknights
Alexanderhofstrasse, 35, 149
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants
Status: Submitted 11/10/2011;
Confirmed
| Researcher:
cknights
User Comment:
Although the source says that she was born in 1834, we wonder if this could be a mistake because the name is so similar, and if she was born in 1834, she would have been about 100 years old by the time she was in the ghetto. Also, if she was born in 1934, she would be just about the right age to be in School #6. I found her information by using the search engine provided and clicking the box for "sounds like" because nothing had previously showed up. We are not sure if the information is accurate, but her address given is near the school, so it seems a very potential match for Rela.
Approver Comment:
I agree! In 1941, if she were born in 1834, she would have been 107 years old. I'm more inclined to believe that she was 7 years old and that both records have typos in her birthdate. Since -ski is typically a male-gendered name ending, be sure to look for her under Rachwalski and Rachwalska in the next stages. Good sleuthing!
Stage 2: The Ghetto
Father's Name:
Eliasz Rachwalski
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants
Status: Submitted 11/10/2011;
Possible
| Researcher:
cknights
Mother's Name:
Juta Rachwalski
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants
Status: Submitted 11/10/2011;
Possible
| Researcher:
cknights
User Comment:
If Rela's birthdate perhaps is wrong in the original files, then her father seems to be Eliasz Rachwalski because he was born in 1900, so he would have been 34 when he had her. Also, they had the same ghetto addresses Alexhof 35 149 and Legionow 63. His occupation is listed as "Buchalter," but there is no additional information on his life in the ghetto or what happened to him.
Also, I believe we have found her mother because Juta Rachwalski was born in 1908, and she has the same first address as both Eliasz and Rela- Alexhof 35 149, but she does not have a second address listed for her. This information makes me wonder if something happened to her before her family was moved.
However, there is another member of the Rachwalski family who lived at both the Alexhof 35 149 and Legionow 63 addresses. Her name was Sura Gitla Rachwalski, but we are not sure how she might fit into the family.
Approver Comment:
I agree that each of these people is related to Rela, and that Eliasz is most likely her father. About Juta and Sura, consider the following:
1. Juta is listed as born on July 7, 1908, and living at Alexanderhofstrasse 35 #149.
1a. It's very hard to draw conclusions from a lack of information. The fact that one record does not show a second address does not tell us much, other than that the second address (probably an earlier pre-ghetto address, since the street name is in Polish) was irrelevant to the record when it was taken.
2. Sura Gitla Rachwalski is listed as born on July 7, 1908, and living at Alexanderhofstrasse 35 #149 and Legionow 63. Like Eliasz, her occupation is listed as "Buchalter."
3. I think Sura Gitla and Juta are either the same person, or Sura Gitla is a false entry and that information should be linked to Juta, not Sura Gitla (there's another Sura Gitla Rachwalski in the database, born in 1924). What do you think?
Stage 3: Labor Camps
No research performed on this stage
Stage 4: Auschwitz & Beyond
No research performed on this stage
Stage 5: Liberation & After
No research performed on this stage
Research contributed by the following user
