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Oskar Schindler

Oskar Schindler. 1908-1974. “If you saw a dog going to be crushed under a car, wouldn’t you help him?”. Early Life. Ethnic German Born on April 28, 1908 in Zwittau , Austria-Hungary Catholic; had two childhood friends that were Jewish Very sinful; womanizing, gambling, money-hungry

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Oskar Schindler

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  1. Oskar Schindler 1908-1974 “If you saw a dog going to be crushed under a car, wouldn’t you help him?”

  2. Early Life • Ethnic German • Born on April 28, 1908 in Zwittau, Austria-Hungary • Catholic; had two childhood friends that were Jewish • Very sinful; womanizing, gambling, money-hungry • Father: Hans Schindler was a business owner • Mother: Louise Schindler was a homemaker • Sister: Elfriede was very close to Oskar • Married Emilie at 20 which severed his relationship with his father

  3. The Start of the War • Schindler used the war as an opportunity to make a fortune • He followed the SS into Poland and became friends with leaders of the Gestapo • Operated a factory that created enamel kitchenware and hired Jews since they were the cheapest labor; started to earn a lot of money by supplying Hitler’s army

  4. His Work Begins… • In June, 1942, the Nazis were relocating the Jews in the Krakow ghetto where Schindler’s factory was being run • Schindler bribed and threatened an SS soldier and stated that his workers were “essential” • Liquidation of the Krakow ghetto began early in 1943 but Schindler again bribed Amon Goeth, who was in charge of the process, to set up a mini camp within the ghetto for Schindler’s Jewish workers

  5. Schindler’s List is Formed • Nazis decided to send all the Jews in the Krakow Ghetto to death camps • Schindler bribed Goeth with the idea of moving his factory to Czechoslavakia to supply the Third Reich with vital war supplies • Schindler came up with about 1,200 names of Jewish workers he would take with him • In the first seven months of the factory’s operation, the workers never produced a single useful shell (Schindler called it “start-up difficulties” when in reality he purposefully weakened the factory’s manufacturing process

  6. The End of the War • War ended on May 8, 1945 • Schindler apologized to his workers for what was done to them and asked them not to seek revenge • Schindler went bankrupt by 1957 due to overspending, drinking, and gambling; he relied on the Jewish organization B’nai B’rith for funds to survive • Schindler left his wife in 1958 and went to West Germany where he was looked down upon by his neighbors for helping Jews; lived on retirement money and funds from the Schindlerjuden (Schindler’s Jews) • Went to Israel and was greeted with open arms

  7. Honoring Schindler • When he turned 54, Schindler was declared a “Righteous Gentile (non-Jew)” • He planted a tree on the Avenue of the Righteous which leads up to Jerusalem’s YadVashem Museum (Holocaust memorial)

  8. Schindler’s Death • Died of heart and liver problems • Buried in a Catholic cemetery on Mount Zion in Israel • Over 500 Schindlerjuden attended his funeral

  9. Schindler’s Legacy • In the 1990s there were over 6,000 Holocaust survivors and their descendents alive who were alive because of Oskar Schindler • “I hated the brutality, the sadism, and the insanity of Nazism. I just couldn’t stand by and see people destroyed. I did what I could, what I had to do, what my conscience told me I must do. That’s all there is to it. Really, nothing more.” -Oskar Schindler

  10. “Schindler’s List” • Director: Steven Spielberg • Schindler was played by Liam Neeson • Released December 15, 1993 (USA) • Tagline: Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire. • Won 7 Oscars, another 63 wins and 21 nominations

  11. Resources • www.jewishvirtuallibrary.com • www.ushmm.org • www.notablebiographies.com • www.oskarschindler.com • www.imdb.com

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