Student Profile: Bajla Epsztajn

There are two women with the name Bajla Epsztajn who are listed as having the occupation "Schuelerin" or "Student" in the Lodz Ghetto Database. Their birth dates differ by a span of only two months (April and June). However, they appear to be the same person since both live in Lodz at Am Bach 27 and subsequently move to Basar Gasse 8 Flat 39.

Aside from this one girl with the two entries, there are nine other entries for women with birth dates ranging from 1879 to 1919. All of them would have been too old to have been a gymnasium student in 1941.

Sometimes there is more than one entry for the same person in the Lodz Ghetto Database. Even though these two entries have different birth dates, they are very similar. The names are the same, and you did a good job of cross-referencing the ghetto addresses, which are also the same.

Address: AM BACH 27, BAZAR 8 39
Occupation: Female Student

I believe this is the correct student that signed it because she was born in 1922, and kids who went to his school were most likely born between 1921 and 1927.

I also found another girl under the same name with a slightly different birth date but in the same year. This one only had the one address of AM BACH 27, the same as the first one. These two people are most likely the same person.

Great work! I agree with your comment on how you decided this was the right person, and I agree that both birthdates point to the same person. I'm going to mark your research on this stage as "possible" until we figure out if her birthdate is in April or June--see you in stage 2!

Ghetto Address: AM BACH 27

Ghetto Address: BAZAR 8 29

Occupation: Schuelerin (student)

Also, There are two entries for this person. I believe that this girl's name was entered twice, which I learned often occurred with so many children in the ghettos. Or, perhaps she was entered twice due to her being transferred to a different ghetto.

Great work! I agree that you've found the right person--in 1941 she would have been 19 years old, the right age to be in gymnasium.

The two entries, if you look closely, have 2 different dates of birth--one June 1, the other April 1. They do, however, have the same addresses. I'm pretty sure they refer to the same person. If you do too, go ahead and add the April birthdate as a separate "date" field, and look for both birthdates as you research in the next stages. Thanks!

we found her mother Chana Epsztajn. they have the same address, AM BACH 27 17, and move date and address, Bazar 8/39 24.12.42. we also found a brother, Israel Epsztajn born on 27/3/1924, also with the same address and move address and date. There is are 2 Izrael Epsztajn's one born on 27/3/1927 the other born in the year 1924, this is probrably a mistype and Israel and Izrael are the same people. also a possible sister Sara Epsztajn born 23/5/26.

Good job. I see you pulled some data from her worker ID card in the ghetto. Well done.

Thank you for adding her addresses and place of work. Putting the pieces of data together, she moved to Basargasse on December 24, 1942.

Based on Bella Tiefenbach's oral testimony with corraboration from secondary sources, we can conclude that Bajla Epsztajn arrived at Auschwitz during the ghetto liquidation of August/September 1944. After a short period of being held "on deposit," she was sent to Bergen-Belsen and on from there to Salzwadel.

Yes. In her testimony, Bella Tiefenbach says she was in Auschwitz for only four days before her transfer for labor, eventually to Bergen-Belsen. She also mentions four days and four nights in a cattle car between Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Her sister died at Bergn-Belsen. Then on October 6, 1944, she left Bergen-Belsen and went to work at a factory in Salzwedel.

Both the World Jewish Congress and Pinkas HaNitzolim Holocaust survivor lists record variant names for Bajla Epsztajn from Lodz. The World Jewish Congress list provides a birth date of May 1, 1922 (exactly midway between April and June recorded in the Lodz Ghetto Database). This birth date suggests that this is my research subject, and that she survived!

This list also records "Bela" as having been liberated at Salzwedel. The secondary sources reveal that "the SS transported a small number of Lodz ghetto women [held on deposit at Auschwitz]... from Bergen-Belsen to Salzwedel where they worked in the Polte ammunition factory. U.S. troops liberated Salzwedel in mid-April 1945."

A quick search of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education catalogue returns video testimony by Bella Tiefenbach. Born Bajla Epsztajn in Lodz on May 1, 1922, Mrs. Tiefenbach lived in Toronto, Canada in 1995 when she gave the interview. The details of her story match the historical record - she was sent from Lodz to Auschwitz in 1944 and from there to Bergen-Belsen and Salzwedel. He mother and father are listed as Chana and Tovia respectively. Her mother's name matches the name of an older woman who lived at the same address as Bajla in the ghetto.

Despite the different spellings of her first name, it's clear that you have identified Bajla Epstajn. The oral testimony recorded by the Shoah Foundation confirms this fact.

In the December 2008/January 2009 newsletter of Congregation Habonim in Toronto, Canada, there appears the following entry under PERSONALIA:

We mourn the passing of Bella Tiefenbach, mother of Hanita Tiefenbach. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family.

Based upon the fact that Bella Tiefenbach was living in Toronto when she gave testimony in 1995, I agree that this is likely the same woman. Remarkable find! Thank you for helping to complete Bella's story.