Gender: boy
School:
School #1
School #1 was a religious school for boys in Lodz. Most students at School #1 in September 1941 were between 9 and 15 years old, meaning that they were born between 1926 and 1932.
School #1 was located at Goplánska 26. The street name was changed to Buchbinderstrasse when German occupation began in 1939. See
www.lodz-ghetto.com for a map of Goplánska and the rest of the Lodz ghetto.
Stage 1: Identity
Student's Given Name:
Motel Opatowska
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants Database, Vol. 1-4 & 5
Status: Submitted 4/23/2010;
Confirmed
| Researcher:
ushmm
Motek Opatowski
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants Database, Vol. 1-4 & 5
Status: Submitted 4/23/2010;
Confirmed
| Researcher:
ushmm
Birth Date:
1927-00-00
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants Database, Vol. 1-4 & 5
Status: Submitted 4/23/2010;
Confirmed
| Researcher:
ushmm
1927-08-27
Source: Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants Database, Vol. 1-4 & 5
Status: Submitted 4/23/2010;
Confirmed
| Researcher:
ushmm
User Comment:
I believe that Motel and Motek are the same person as Mordechai. Even though the names are spelled differently, I have a father named Morton. His Hebrew name is Mordechai, and his mother always called him Motel. So, based on my experience, I believe that this was a common Yiddish diminutive nickname for Mordechai.
If I am correct, both Motel and Motek appear to be the same person based on the birth year and ghetto address of Sattler 25 (one is listed as apt 11 and one as apt 10)... probably a clerical or data entry error (or he could have changed apartment).
Approver Comment:
Given that there are no other likely matches, it is very likely that your conclusion is correct.
Stage 2: The Ghetto
No research performed on this stage
Stage 3: Labor Camps
No research performed on this stage
Stage 4: Auschwitz & Beyond
No research performed on this stage
Stage 5: Liberation & After
Student's Given Name:
Mordka Opatowski
Source: Postwar Lists of Survivors
Status: Submitted 4/23/2010;
Possible
| Researcher:
ushmm
Place of Birth:
Lodz
Source: Postwar Lists of Survivors
Status: Submitted 4/23/2010;
Possible
| Researcher:
ushmm
User Comment:
Without a birth date, there is not enough information to confirm whether this is the same Mordechai Opatowski who signed the album. But it is possible.
While I cannot find conclusive evidence of Mordechai's fate, there is quite a bit from survivor Felix Opatowski of Lodz, including post war testimonies. I'll have to listen to one of his testimonies to find out whether he was related to Mordechai and if so, whether he tells anything of Mordechai's fate.
Approver Comment:
Agreed.
Research contributed by the following user
