Gender: boy
School:
Gymnasium and high school for boys
Gymnasium and high school students were typically between 14 and 20 years old. A gymnasium student in September 1941 was likely born between 1921 and 1927.
The gymnasium and high school for boys was located on Otylii. The street name was changed to Ottilienstrasse when German occupation began in 1939. See
www.lodz-ghetto.com for a map of Otylii and the rest of the Lodz ghetto.
Stage 1: Identity
Student's Given Name:
Szmul Rachmil Berlinski
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants Database, Vol. 1-4 & 5
Status: Submitted 9/1/2010;
Possible
| Researcher:
epfrankle
Birth Date:
1933-05-08
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants Database, Vol. 1-4 & 5
Status: Submitted 9/1/2010;
Possible
| Researcher:
epfrankle
User Comment:
While 9 years old is a bit young to be in Gymnasium, Szmul's is the only record immediately available through the USHMM database within a vaguely reasonable age range and with the surname "Berlinski." I will continue to seek out alternate possibilities.
Approver Comment:
At first I came to the same conclusion as you (though I would find it difficult to ever consider a nine year old for gymnasium). Then I took another look. There was a young man named Szaja Lajb Berlinski/Berlinska (b. 1929) and another named Szyja Berlinski (b. 1927). Either of these two would be a more likely candidate based on their birthdates... especially Szyja. HOWEVER -- I could still be wrong and your original inclination could be correct on this... Salek and Szmul are both nicknames for Solomon. Salek is Polish and Szmul is a Yiddish. Szaja, on the other hand, is short for Isaiah. So, who knows? Even though, 9 years old seems impossibly young for a gymnasium student, I'll mark your entry as "possible" on the hunch that perhaps the birth date was recorded incorrectly. This will need significantly more research to confirm.
Stage 2: The Ghetto
Change of Address:
1942-06-21
Source: Hospital, Labor, Deportation, and Administrative Records from the Lodz Ghetto
Status: Submitted 9/1/2010;
Possible
| Researcher:
epfrankle
User Comment:
Again, if we assume Salek's given name was Szmul, this is the applicable record.
Approver Comment:
Yes. Note that he moved from SKLADOWA 31 to SPERLING 6 Flat 10.
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
