Signet ring with an engraving of the Łódź ghetto bridge owned by a ghetto resident

Ring with his initials given to Jerzyk Wajnberg for his 18th birthday in the Łódź ghetto. It is engraved with an image of one of the two bridges that joined the three sections of the ghetto. The sections were created by the fenced intersection of two major roads that crossed through the ghetto. The bridges were needed for the inhabitants to travel between sections, as they were not permitted on the roads. Jerzyk,his parents, Julian and Regina, and his sister, Joanna, became residents of the ghetto in December 1939, when the Germans, who occupied Poland in September, evicted them from their home and forced them into the ghetto. In August 1944, during the final liquidation of the ghetto, Julian, as head electrical engineer, was told to stay and monitor the electrical supply. In early January 1945, as Soviet forces approached the city, they hid in the power plant, convinced that the Germans were planning to execute the remaining inhabitants. But on January 19, 1945, they were liberated by the Soviets and were able to return to their prewar apartment. No restrictions on access Jerzyk Wlasdyslaw Wajnberg (Jerry Weinberg) was born in Łódź, Poland, on March 1, 1925, to Julian (b. April 12, 1890) and Regina Lubinska (b. March 22, 1894.) He had a younger sister, Joanna, born on June 8, 1930. Julian was an electrical engineer and worked for the electrical power supply company. In the first week of September 1939, Łódź was occupied by the Germans and renamed Litzmannstadt. In December 1939, the Wajnberg family was evicted from their home and forced into the section of the city that, by February, would become the ghetto. Julian was made head engineer of the electric supply company in the ghetto; Jerzyk worked there as well. His mother was forced to work in a factory. His sister attended school her first two years in the ghetto, then was forced to work making hats. In August 1944, during the final liquidation of the ghetto, Julian was chosen to stay and monitor the electrical supply. The family was moved to a labor camp in another section. One day in January, Schwind, a deputy to the administrator of the ghetto, ordered a roll of the labor camp. Worried that the Germans were planning to kill the remaning ghetto inhabitants, Julian used his key to the electric power station room to hide thirteen people. For three days and nights, they sat on a bench, not moving for fear of electrocution. On January 19, 1945, they heard someone yelling that the war was over and everyone could come out. Convinced this was a trick, they remained hidden for a few more hours. They finally left their hiding place to discover that the city had been liberated by the Soviets. Julian was immediately taken to the city power company and remained there for three days. The family returned to their prewar apartment. Jerzyk emigrated to Canada in 1958 and settled in Montreal. He passed away in 1998, age 73. Joanna Mary Wajnberg was born in Łódź, Poland, on June 8, 1930 to Julian (b. April 12, 1890) and Regina Lubinska (B. March 22, 1894.) She had an older brother, Jerzyk Wlasdyslaw, born on March 1, 1925. Julian was an electrical engineer and worked for the electrical power supply company. In the first week of September 1939, Łódź was occupied by the Germans and renamed Litzmannstadt. In December 1939, the Wajnberg family was evicted from their home and forced into the section of the city that, by February, would be enclosed in barb wire and become the ghetto. Julian was made head engineer of the electric supply company; Jerzyk worked there as well. Joanna attended school her first two years in the ghetto and later was put to work making hats. In August 1944, during the final liquidation of the ghetto, Julian was chosen to stay and monitor the electrical supply. The family was moved to a labor camp in another section. Joanna and the other women worked sorting and cleaning jewelry and other items found in the ghetto. One day in January, Schwind, a deputy to the administrator of the ghetto, ordered a roll of the labor camp. Worried there would be an execution, Julian used his key to the electric power station room to hide thirteen people. For three days and nights, they sat on a bench, not moving for fear of electrocution. On January 19, 1945, they heard someone yelling that the war was over and everyone could come out. Convinced this was a trick, they remained hidden for a few more hours. They finally left their hiding place to discover that the city had been liberated by the Soviets. Julian was immediately taken to the city power company and remained there for three days. Joanna and her cousins, Erika and Maryla, walked around the city and went to the movies. The family returned to their prewar apartment and Joanna, now 14 years old, returned to school. In 1953, she married Zbigniew Raplewski, a Polish filmmaker, and had two sons.