OSKAR SCHINDLER

Untitled Slide

• Born in 1908 in Austria-Hungary
• He was born catholic and wealthy
• Oskar married Emile Pelzl in 1928

EMILE SCHINDLER

• Born in 1907
• She helped Oskar in saving the lives of 1,200 to 1,700 Jews
• In a way, she was more of moral compass for Oskar.

After the demise of his family's business

• Oskar moved to Poland during the invasion of the SS
• With some contacts, he started a factory with the lowest labor around:
• Jews

AT FIRST, IT WAS JUST BUSINESS AS USUAL

• But, as Poland became torn apart due to the Holocaust,
• Oskar had a change of heart.
• With the help of his accountant, Schindler was able to get in touch with the last Jews with remaining wealth
• And hired Jewish workers to work at his factory.
• He even paid off the Nazis to allow the workers to stay.

WHILE HE WAS STILL GETTING PAID

• The workers were fed
• They were not beaten
• And no one was killed

ALL WAS GOING WELL

BUT, BY 1944

• As the Russian army started to come,
• The Nazis sent all Jews to die in order to complete liquidation

FOLLOWING THE LIQUIDATION OF THE KRAKOW GETT

• Schindler used his influence to set up a branch for 900 Jewish workers
• This would be his famous list of people

FOLLOWING THE WAR

• Schindler moved to Argentina with his wife and some workers
• However, in 1958, Schindler abandoned his wife
• And moved back to Germany
• Where he rotated between there and Israel until his death
• On October 9, 1974 in Hidleshim, Germany

SO, WHY IS HE IMPORTANT?

Well, while Schindler might not be important in a country-sense (he didn't change anything in Germany). But, he was important in a moral sense

The way Oskar Schindler was important in a moral sense is that he was just an ordinary person.

He had his flaws (a womanizer, a alcoholic, and a profiteer) but chose to do something extraordinary instead of being like every other businessman.

That extraordinary thing, saved over 1,000 lives during the Holocaust. This is why Oskar Schindler is important today. He was an ordinary person, who decide to help instead of being a bystander

Untitled Slide