Student Profile: Sara Abel

I am updating this file to add the other two possible candidates who could be Sara Abel. For Sara Estera Apel, her addresses were on Insel, Matejki, and Staszyca streets, and her birthday was 15 Mar 1928.

Following up on the museum reviewer's suggestion, I found Sura Appel in the Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants database volume 5.  She is also listed as being a student.  So, along with her birth date, I believe she is a possible match along with the other girls already listed here.

We found Sara Apel's family by looking at the street address- clearly she had a LOT of family living with her. We discovered two women and two men who would be the right age to be her father, and because of the large amount of children we found, we are thinking that it was possibly an extended family living in one home. One of the women and one of the men were likely Sara's parents, but the other older woman and man could be her aunt and uncle, and some of the children could be her cousins. We are not positive, but this is what we are inferring. Because this is not necessarily the Sara Apel who signed the book, I will list which family members we found that are related to her: Chaim Lajb, Chana Frajda, Chana Laja, Henia Frajda, Hersz Frajda, Jakub Lajzer, Laja, Mojsze Majer, Rachela, Ruchela, Schoel, Sura, and Szoel. It is also important to note that Sura Apel and Sara Apel are related- whether it is cousins or sisters we do not know. HOWEVER, either one could have been the girl who signed the book, because Sura is very similar to Sara. Either way, both girls are likely related, so their family is the same. 

For Sara Estera, who could also possibly be the girl who signed this book, we found her father, mother and brother, because they shared the same address. These people are Ruchla Laja (Mother), Aron Dawid (Father) and Szmul Lajb (brother). 

Another interesting point that was just recently found- either Chana Frajda (mother/aunt) or Chana Laja (sister/cousin)- both relatives of Sura and Sara Apel- survived the war. Using the survivor database, we were able to find a "Chana Apel" who was in Lodz during the war and survived. Also important to note, Ruchla (sister/cousin to Sara and Sura Apel) also probably survived the war. The survivor data base lists her as being in Skarzyska during the war, but the database has a question mark after that place, so it is possible that she could have been in Lodz. If she was indeed in Lodz and not Skarzyska, this would be the Ruchla who was related to Sura and Sara Apel.

For Sura Appel, we were able to locate two siblings, an Estera Appel and a Gedalja Appel. We located them because they had the same address as Sura Appel. They have "Sierpn 45" in their notes section, but we are not entirely sure what that means.