Oskar Schindler (28 April 1908 – 9 October 1974) was an ethnic German industrialist, German spy, and member of the Nazi party who is credited with saving the lives of over 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories, which were located in what is now Poland and the Czech Republic respectively. He is the subject of the 1982 novel Schindler’s Ark, and the 1993 film based on it, Schindler’s List which highlights the contradictory trajectory of an opportunistic and amoral man initially motivated by profit, who came to show extraordinary initiative, tenacity and dedication in order to save the lives of his Jewish employees, ending his life in poverty.
Schindler’s grave is located on the mountainside below Zion Gate and the Old City walls. Stones placed on top of the grave are a sign of gratitude from Jewish visitors, according to Jewish tradition, although Schindler himself was not Jewish. On his grave, the Hebrew inscription reads: “Righteous among the Nations”, an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis. The German inscription reads: “The Unforgettable Lifesaver of 1200 Persecuted Jews”
He was quoted as saying “I knew the people who worked for me… When you know people, you have to behave towards them like human beings.” The writer Herbert Steinhouse, who interviewed Schindler in 1948 at the behest of some of the surviving Schindlerjuden (Schindler’s Jews), wrote: “Oskar Schindler’s exceptional deeds stemmed from just that elementary sense of decency and humanity that our sophisticated age seldom sincerely believes in. A repentant opportunist saw the light and rebelled against the sadism and vile criminality all around him. The inference may be disappointingly simple, especially for all amateur psychoanalysts who would prefer the deeper and more mysterious motive that may, if it is true, still lie unprobed and unappreciated. But an hour with Oskar Schindler encourages belief in the simple answer.” (source: Wikipedia)
He who saves one life saves the world entire. What will you do to save a life? Watch this compelling short video with award winning Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley and then visit www.worldvision.org, www.compassion.com, and www.GoLightYourWorld.org/giving for ideas to free the oppressed for less than a cup of coffee a day.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIp_8RNNX4k
This is a movie that I was able to watch only once. Every movie about WWII makes me think about my Dad, born in 1930, a little boy suffering the ravages and insanity of the Spanish Civil War and right after that, WWII. Bolivia was one of the few doors opened to Jewish refugees and we became friends with many of them… Beloved friends closer than a family. When I see movies depicting those times, my heart goes to all those who died, suffered or survived those trials. And as I cry pondering the senseless homicides rampant throughout the ages , I wonder how can God and Jesus can withstand so much pain…
Oh thank you dear Julita for sharing this precious story. I have only been able to watch the movie once too, though I’ve seen this end scene many times. It offers such passion and purpose for daily living that quite grasps our hearts and lives. We come to Bolivia for this purpose. Yes, who can fully grasp the love and mercy of Jesus Christ that led Him to such agony and death on our behalf…while we were still sinners! Thank God for His resurrection in our lives!!