Student Profile: Janet Rotner

For Janet Rotner I found Jeanette Ratner b. 13/3/1933, and lived at Kelm 55 4 and Sperling 15. The I found her as Joanetta with the same birthdat and living at A. Hitler 34 and Sperling 15 2 and moved to Kelm 55 on 14/05/1942. Then I also found her as JOANETTA and lastly I found her as Zaneta Ratner with the birthdate of 12/03/1933.

I believe she lived first at A. Hitler then moved on 14/05/1942 to Sperling 15 2, then moved again on 20/05/1942 to Kelmstrasse.

Your expert reviewer's comment matches my sentiments entirely. This is definitely the girl who signed the album--but her when and where are still a mystery. I'm excited to see what else you find about her and if we can get any closer to figuring out any of this with greater certainty. Pretty sure you have the order of the addresses right: Adolf-Hitler-Strasse was not a street in the ghetto, and the dates seem to suggest that Kelmstrasse came after Sperlinggasse; when precisely in May she moved (the 14th or the 20th) is still unclear.

At any rate, great work putting in all the possibilities and opening up this fascinating puzzle.

I've found the following people living at the same address as Jeanette.

1. Jakob Ratner born 14/09/1908 and he had a ghetto note that says "Legitymacja 554." He also appears wiith the birthdate of 15/12/1908 and a ghetto note that says, "Centr Gefangnis." He then appears again with the ghetto note of WYM 14.5.42 Kelm.

2. Tola Ratner born 06/05/1908 and she had a ghetto note of 11.9.43 and she had the name Tola Chrystowska. She appears again with the birthdate of  07/01/1908 and ghetto note of AG 11.9.43 Centr Gef, and the name of Tola Chrystoska.  She then appears with the birthdate of 17/11/1909 and ghetto note, "Legitymacja 554." Lastly, she appears with the birthdate of 07/05/1908.

3. Seweryn Ratner born 24/05/1936 and ghetto note of 20.5.42. He also appears as Sewerin and born 24/05/1932.

I'm not sure what the comments refer too.

 

I looked through my main source material for events that happened in the ghetto (Chronicle of the Lodz Ghetto, ed. Dobroszycki), and did not see any information about arrests made on September 11, 1943, but I do agree that all of the evidence points in that direction. I look forward to seeing what else you find out about Jakob and Tola.