Oskar Schindler: An Unlikely Hero

Oskar Schindler: An Unlikely Hero

Perhaps the issue of Schindler’s motive is a controversial point, but an entire generation exists today because of him. Oskar Schindler, a German and wealthy business man, moved to Poland after the outbreak of the war seeking to take advantage of the German occupation program. He bought a factory and made it his own for personal profit. Schindler was the unlikeliest of heroes, but became one for more than 1000 Jews during World War Two; He risked his life with his affiliation with the Nazis, he treated his Jewish employees with care, and he sacrificed his reputation and image for the lives he saved.

Schindler’s family was one of the wealthiest families in his hometown of Zwittau, Czechoslovakia, but as a result of the deep depression of the 1930s, the family became bankrupt. Schindler joined the Nazi party. Schindler’s constant drinking and seeing women allowed him to make connections with important Nazis very easily. Soon after the attack of Poland, he left his wife Emilie in Zwittau and moved to Krakow to take advantage of the German program. Bribes of money flowed extensively from Schindler and gave him control of a company, near the Jewish ghetto of Krakow. At this time, presumably because they were the cheapest source of labour, Schindler principally employed the Jews from the ghetto. Slowly as the brutality of the Nazis got worse and planned for the extermination of the Jews, Schindler’s workers looked for his support. He hired as many Jews as he possibly could, despite some being incapable of working. He decided to risk everything in attempts to save 1200 Jews from certain death. After a short time of rescuing, Schindler’s activities were dangerously known throughout the Nazi party. Herbert Steinhouse and Thomas Fensch recalls in his book, Oskar Schindler and His List, an incident when Schindler pushed a Krakow Commandant down some stairs. The commandant said, "Oskar, you tried to kill me. And don't think you can get away. We all know who you are. You're a Jew-lover, and you'll go to Auschwitz just as fast as your Jews.” Schindler placed himself in danger by associating with the Nazi officials after Schindler’s rescuing became common knowledge. However in spite of the common knowledge of Schindler’s rescuing activities, he still enjoyed protection and security from his Nazi associates. He was granted this security by giving bribes to the Nazis. In the movie, Schindler’s list, Schindler declares, “I’m protected by powerful friends, you should know that” when the Auschwitz commandant threatens to have him arrested. Schindler made many risky moves that threatened his life. He continued to associate with the Nazi party so he was able to keep the Jews “working” in his factory, but for no other reason than that. There is a saying, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer”, and that is exactly what Schindler did. He did not believe in the goal that the Nazis were trying to pursue, but he used his connections with the Nazis so he was able to save the Jews. Schindler put the lives of the Jews, ahead of his own safety and primarily for this reason he was viewed as a hero for the Jews during WWII. His behaviour was recognized not only during the war, but after the war and still present day.

Schindler showed a reversal of his priorities, from where he spent all of his money he made on women and alcohol, to when he decided to spend all his money on saving and protecting his Jewish employees. There were many instances where Schindler was showed as a hero to the Jews that worked in his factory. At his factory, workers were not as hungry as in other camps. Meals had a calorie count of 2000, different from the 900 calories the other places received. When food supplies were important, Schindler spent a lot of money purchasing food supplies on the black market goods. In Sir Martin Gilbert’s book, The Boy's - Triumph Over Adversity, Moshe Rosenberg, a worker at Schindler’s factory recalled,

"Loud enough for the Germans to hear, Schindler shouted ‘What's this shit?’ Then he threw some food wrapped in paper and walked out. It was his way of smuggling food to the Jews. Without him stepping in, the guards would have beaten me until I was dead.”

At Schindler’s factory, nobody was hit, nobody was murdered, and nobody was sent to death camps. A few months later, the same man, Moshe Rosenberg sat down for a moment. At that very moment Schindler came in to the factory, followed by a SS Commandant named Amon Goeth. Rosenberg later recalled,

“Schindler