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Would you be willing to stake your own life and life savings to rescue someone else, knowing that at any moment, you could face lethal consequences for your actions? This was the harrowing decision faced by Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist, businessman, and former member of the Nazi Party. Schindler, often hailed as one of the most prominent "Righteous Gentiles," defied the atrocities of the Holocaust by risking everything to save as many as 1,100 Jews. His remarkable story gained international recognition through the 1982 novel "Schindler's Ark" and the subsequent 1993 film "Schindler's List."
Oskar Schindler's journey began on April 28, 1908, in Zwittau, Austria-Hungary.
Born into a privileged German-Catholic family, Schindler's wealth originated from his father's farm machinery business and a driving school. Despite his affluent upbringing, Schindler, described as a "spoiled child that grew into a self-indulgent young man, notorious as a womanizer," took a reckless path in life. Marrying Emilie Pelzl in 1928 at the age of 19 did not curb his extravagant lifestyle, marked by numerous extramarital affairs, heavy drinking, and aggressive gambling.
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“ Amazing as always, gave her a week to finish a big assignment and came through way ahead of time. ”
These indulgences ultimately led to the downfall of his family's business. To recover financially, Schindler embraced a dubious path, becoming a "master of the black market" after the German invasion of Poland in 1939, at the age of 21.
Recognizing the German program to "Aryanize" Jewish and Polish-owned businesses, Schindler seized the opportunity to acquire a Jewish-owned enamelware factory. This purchase laid the foundation for the Deutsche Emal Warenfabrik, or Emalia, where Schindler, through business trips to Poland, had previously spied for the Germans.
These connections earned him ownership of the factory. Although driven by profit initially, Emalia evolved into a crucial element of Schindler's plan to save lives, unbeknownst to him at the time. His profitable friendships with the Gestapo, cultivated through Emalia, would later play a vital role in rescuing Jews.
As the Nazis forcibly took control of Krakow, Schindler's factory became a refuge for Jews subjected to slave labor. At the height of Emalia's strength in 1944, it employed 1,700 workers, with 1,000 being Jewish. The Jews contributed to Schindler's significant profits by supplying the German army with essential goods. Amidst the escalating persecution of Poland's Jews, Schindler began to grasp the impending horror of the Final Solution. He made a momentous decision to allocate all his profits to "secure the lives of his Jewish workers," shifting Emalia's purpose from a mass producer of enamelware for monetary gain to a sanctuary for Jews.
Schindler's commitment to shielding his Jewish workers involved navigating a perilous path fraught with bribes and connections with the German SS. In 1943, the Jews at Emalia faced multiple sentences to the violent Plaszow concentration camp, overseen by the notorious Amon, an elite Nazi Party Guard. Amon's volatile temper resulted in arbitrary shootings, instilling constant fear in the camp's inhabitants. To avert the deportation of his workers, Schindler persuaded Amon to permit the construction of a branch camp named Brunnlitz, providing a haven for his workers. In 1944, as the Russian army approached, the SS planned to close both Plaszow and Brunnlitz, intending to exterminate the remaining Jews. Schindler, through a combination of bribes and persuasion, convinced the Nazis to allow him to open a new factory, situated in what is now the Czech Republic.
The turning point in Schindler's efforts came when he compiled a list containing the names of over 1,100 Jews working for him. This list, later renowned as "Schindler's List," became a lifeline for those individuals. Through a series of additional bribes, utilization of financial resources, and leveraging connections, Schindler ensured the survival of his Jewish workers until liberation. The bribes included currency, jewelry, and other valuables. On May 9, 1945, as Soviet troops liberated the Jews, Schindler left his final factory. Penniless after exhausting his resources on rescuing Jews, he fled to Argentina, fearing prosecution as a war criminal. In 1958, Schindler, abandoning his wife, returned alone to Germany. His remarkable actions earned him the title of a "Righteous Gentile," a distinction rarely bestowed upon individuals.
Schindler's post-war years were marked by financial struggles, yet he received significant attention from Israel and Germany for his exceptional courage during the Holocaust. Honored at Israel's Holocaust Museum, Schindler died in Hildesheim, Germany, in 1974. Notably, many of the Jews he saved financed his burial. Today, more than 6,000 descendants of the rescued Jews reside in Europe, the United States, and Israel, underscoring the enduring impact of Schindler's legacy.
The legacy of Oskar Schindler persists through the lives of those he saved. Janina Olszewska, a Jew employed at Schindler's factory, recounted instances where Schindler intervened to save lives post-war. Schindler's actions went beyond the wartime era, such as securing the release of a friend's son destined for slave labor in Germany. These anecdotes underscore the enduring impact of Schindler's humanitarian efforts. Thomas Keneally's 1982 novel, "Schindler's Ark," and Steven Spielberg's subsequent 1993 film, "Schindler's List," brought global attention to Schindler's extraordinary story, ensuring that his life, actions, and deeds during the Holocaust remain etched in history. Oskar Schindler, a Righteous Gentile and former Nazi Party member, risked everything to rescue Jews, leaving an indelible mark on the collective memory of humanity.
Oskar Schindler: A Heroic Odyssey through Perilous Times. (2016, Mar 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/oskar-schindler-essay
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