Motel the Operator

Motl, a poor laborer, loving husband and new father, leads cloakmakers in a strike for better working conditions. When he is severely injured by strikebreakers, his wife, Esther, and infant son are left destitute. Desperate to save her starving child, Esther gives him up for adoption to a wealthy couple, and then commits suicide. —Anonymous Motl, a poor laborer, loving husband and new father, leads cloakmakers in a strike for better working conditions. When he is severely inured by strikebreakers, his wife Esther and infant son are left destitute. Desperate to save her starving child, Esther gives up their child in this Yiddish melodrama. —National Center for Jewish Film