Today in history, ‘Righteous among the nations’ Oskar Schindler, who saved approximately 1,200 Jews from death during the Holocaust, was born.
Born in what is now the Czech Republic, Schindler joined the Nazi Party in 1938 after his home was annexed to Germany, before moving to Krakow one year later, at 31 years old.
Later that year, Schindler took over an enamelware factory in Zablocie, quickly turning the factory into a success by relying heavily on the expertise of the factory’s Jewish accountant, Itzhak Stern.
Their connection would become crucial later, when Schindler became a rescuer.
Seeing the persecution of innocent people, something was triggered within Schindler, and he became driven by the desire to save as many Jews as possible.
He used his factory’s designation as essential to the war effort, which provided him protection from the authorities due to his supply contracts with the military, and began recruiting Jewish workers from the ghetto controlled by the SS.
Schindler then obtained exemptions for his workers facing the threat of deportation by arguing that their removal would harm factory production and military supplies.
He did whatever he could to save as many Jews as possible, including forging documents, listing children and intellectuals as skilled laborers, covering for workers who could not perform due to health issues, and even bribing officials when needed.
In March 1943, the Kraków Ghetto was liquidated, with the remaining Jews being transferred to the Plaszów labor camp, where commander Amon Göth was infamous for his cruelty.
Schindler convinced Göth to set up a sub-camp on his factory grounds to house his Jewish workers, where he was able to ensure their safety and buy them extra food on the black market.
Schindler’s life after World War II
Oskar Schindler made his first visit to Israel in 1961, where he was welcomed by over 200 people he had saved from the Nazis.
Thirty years later, he and his wife, Emilie, were formally recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, and his life story was immortalized in Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List in 1993.
When Schindler passed away in Germany in 1974, the people he rescued ensured that his final wish would be honored and brought his coffin to Israel, where he was buried at the Latin Cemetery on Mount Zion.