Heroes can often be found in the darkest of times, and during the Holocaust, Oskar Schindler was one of those heroes. Oskar Schindler was a member of the Nazi party and an incredible businessman. He manipulated the Nazis and broke the law of no sheltering or protecting the Jewish race by hiring over a thousand Jewish people to work in his factory. He also falsified employment records proving that all of his workers were needed in the factory at all times. His employees were so grateful for his actions that at the end of the Holocaust, they awarded him with a gold ring with an inscribed quote reading, “He who saves one life, it is as if he saved the entire world. Although he betrayed the Nazi Party, Oskar Schindler was justified in his …show more content…
Many people came to Schindler in search of a job that would protect them during World War II. Schindler offered everyone a role in his factory and even though they were paid very little, it was better than nothing: “They were cheap labor and their wage was regulated by the Nazis” (Kellie, Oskar Schindler). The fact that the Nazis provided the workers with money shows how they were essential to the factory and needed for the war. Not only were the workers given a job, but they were also given a place to live. Although they did not receive shelter at first, Schindler used his position in the Nazi Party to persuade the Nazis to allow him to keep his employees in the factory at all times. According to Kellie Searle-Meehan, a writer for ABC-CLIO, “Schindler struck a deal with Goeth in which his workers would live in a camp within his factory… For a few months, his Jewish workers were safe and well fed” (Searle-Meehan, Oskar Schindler). Schindler kept his workers in great health and gave them a place to live. Oskar Schindler granted the Jewish people a salary and a place to call …show more content…
Schindler played a vital role as a Nazi, for his job was to bring back news of Polish military movements in Krakow. During his time as a spy, he was arrested and sentenced to death by the Czechoslovakian police: “He was arrested in 1941 and 1942 but was quickly released each time because of his high-ranking friends and extravagant bribes” (Searle-Meehan, Oskar Schindler). Schindler maintained a good relationship with the Nazis and they helped him get out of illegal situations. He broke their trust and betrayed his role in the Nazi regime. This evidence left out the fact that Schindler betrayed the Nazis due to their brutality and inhumane actions toward the Jewish people. Schindler wanted to protect people from this uncontrollable genocide and protected as many people as he could from getting into the hands of the Nazi soldiers: “Oskar employed hundreds of Jews in his factory in Poland and saved them from certain death under the hands of the Nazis” (Searle-Meehan, Oskar Schindler). His ability to hire the Jews allowed him to keep them away from murder and torture. While Schindler may have been a traitor in the eyes of the Nazis, he gave people the chance to live the rest of their life
There are many heroic individuals in history that have shown greatness during a time of suffering ,as well as remorse when greatness is needed, but one individual stood out to me above them all. He served as a hero among all he knew and all who knew him. This individual, Simon Wiesenthal, deserves praise for his dedication to his heroic work tracking and prosecuting Nazi war criminals that caused thousands of Jews, Gypsies, Poles and other victims of the Holocaust to suffer and perish.
In the height of the war, Oskar Schindler recognized that he could use his power and prestige to do more good by saving people’s lives rather than just by making money. As the persecution of the Jews increased, Schindler felt compelled to save lives by hiring the Jewish people to work for him in his factory. If a Jewish person was not considered skilled or useful, they were in danger of being sent off to death camps. Oskar Schindler would hire many Jews (skilled or unskilled) to prevent them from being sent to their death. Not only did he employ them, he also housed...
Oskar Schindler was a German spy in the Nazi Party.He was also a very wealthy businessman who owned a war goods manufacturing factory in the World War II era. Schindler managed to employ 1,200 Jews in his factory in an effort to save them. While Schindler did this, a new concentration camp opened up near him that was run by the notorious Amon Goth. Schindler cultivated a relationship with Goth, so whenever Goth would try to take the Jews to his camp, Schindler would bribe him with black market goods. Later on in the war the camp was forced to shut down due to the advance of the Allies. Schindler got word that all of his Jewish workers would be shipped to Auschwitz with the other Jews. Schindler, upset by this, decided to build a new factory
Oskar Schindler accomplished many things within his life, such as saving the Jews, being a German spy, and helping the economy. His accomplishments have benefited those throughout his life. Although his kindness for his fellow man ran deep, so did his greed for boosting his own personal status within the community. There are still those today that believe that Oskar Schindler only saved the Jews for his own personal gain, but there are also those that believe that he did it out of kindness. Whether he did it out of good morale or simply for his own greed, Oskar Schindler 's many accomplishments have impacted plenty of lives.
Oskar Schindler was a German Industrialist and a previous member of the Nazi Party (Oskar Schindler (1908-1974) ). Schindler had many jobs, including working in his father’s machinery business, opening a driving school, selling government property, and serving in the Czechoslovak army (Oskar Schindler). At first, Oskar was motivated by money and he did not care if the way he got that money was unfair or illegal, but then his mindset changed when he noticed all of the victims from the Holocaust (Oskar Schindler (1908-1974) ). He then changed his goal from making as much money as possible to saving as many Jews as he could from Plaszow and Auschwitz (Oskar
After witnessing the liquidation of the Krakow ghetto, Schindler simply could not sit by and watch people be sent to death. After seeing the little girl in the red coat Schindler’s view on the whole Nazi operation changed. Here was this innocent girl running through utter chaos, as he sat on his high horse and watched the destruction. Schindler decided to help by bringing as many Jews out of the camps for work purpose, however no labor was carried out. Regina Perlman, a Jewish worker talked to Schindler and begged him to bring her parents to the factory, as they are old and would die if they did not get out of the concentration camps. He diminished the idea immediately claiming that he is running a business and harboring Jews are illegal, however, Schindler gave both her parents a job. When his workers were boarding the cattle cars to the factory a guard came along taking the children away from their parents and bringing them back into the camp. Schindler saved them, claiming he needs their small fingers to clean the insides of tiny machinery, however he was merely protecting the innocent children from being tortured. At the end of the war when the Jews are finally set free he even begins to cry, believing he did not do enough, questioning as to why he kept his car when he could of saved ten Jews with the money instead. Asking why he continued to parade with a gold pin when another Jew could of been saved. Convinced he did not do enough, yet he saved the lives of 1100 Jewish people, feeding and providing them with the essentials, using his own money. A hero is someone who has courage and is admired for their achievements, Schindler went against protocol and his own nation to save people who were deemed unfit for society and not any better than
Oskar Schindler, a German middle-classed officer who worked for the Nazi, saved the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. He
Managing to save 1,200 Jews. This quote also shows courage because at his own expense he provided his Jewish employees with the life sufficient diet they needed unlike the Nazis did. Secondly, Schindler didn't want to sneak away the jews he only wanted to make a hoax for the Nazis. He wanted the Nazis to believe that he was helping them with the German war effort but really he was trying to save the Jewish community from final liquidation. The narrator describes, “He only wanted to keep the hoax up long enough to survive the war” (2). this quote demonstrates how Schidler stands up to the German command to help out the Jewish community without getting himself in the line at danger but still manages to save 1,200 Jews. He also demonstrates courage because if he got busted for what he is doing he would be imprisoned or even
" The businessman, Oskar Schindler, demonstrated a powerful example of a man who was moved emotionally to step in and take action to save the lives of the Jewish people. His bravery still commands great respect today. His role shows the great significance of speaking up against injustice and choosing not to be silent.
Jews, a religious group of people originating from Israel, have lived in Europe, including Germany, for about 1500 years (Carr; Shyovitz). As Jews moved away from Israel, agriculture was no longer their main form of breadwinning. They have become more educated and many acquired skilled professions. In Europe, Christians were not allowed to lend money and the Jews have become the main money lenders. The knowledge, skills, and money lending abilities that Jews possessed allowed them to become extremely prosperous. During 1000-1500, most Rulers in Europe were Christians, who disliked the Jews (Carr). Although they lived peacefully with their neighbors, Christians blamed
[War] brings out the worst in people. Never the good, always the bad. Even in the midst the devastation of a national genocide, where one race turned against another in hate, good people existed and worked to counteract the hate through love and compassion. Oskar Schindler was one of these people. World War II provided him the means to become a very wealthy and powerful man, yet he did not exploit the Jews like many other businessmen during his time. He used his money and power to save thousands. Much can be learned from what happened during the holocaust and what Schindler did to save thousands of Jews.
feels he must turn his factory into a refuge for Jews. By doing so he
Oskar Schindler was a man who knew what he wanted. He was an intelligent and controlled man. Schindler owned a factory during the Holocaust in 1939. He had more than 1,300 Jews working for him at this time and wanted to keep it that way. He spent millions of reichsmarks to keep his business going, but was that really the reason why? At first, Schindler was saving the Jewish workers for his own good, not because he cared whether they were killed or not, but later realized that what was going on during this time was not right.
During the occupation of the Krakow Ghetto, Jews were being separated into “essential” and “non-essential” categories. Individuals selected for the “non-essential” category were to be shipped off to concentration camps. Originally completed by a Jewish accountant recruited by Schindler, “non-essential” workers were being designated as “essential” workers for Schindler’s business. Realizing he was unknowingly hiring unfit employees, Schindler berated the accountant for devising the plan and jeopardizing his profits. This incident is where Schindler is faced with his first ethical dilemma; by taking away the employment of unfit individuals, he is sentencing them to certain death, but if he allows them to remain, he is endangering future profits. By allowing the unqualified employees to stay, viewers can see a shift in his inner workings, and also a light is shown on his humanity. Furthermore, his reputation for forgiveness and mercy begins to bud, as does his slow separation from Nazi Party
The film begins in 1939 with the German-initiated relocation of Polish Jews from surrounding areas to the Kraków Ghetto shortly after the beginning of World War II. Meanwhile, Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), an ethnic German businessman from Moravia, arrives in the city in hopes of making his fortune as a war profiteer. Schindler, a member of the Nazi Party, lavishes bribes upon the Wehrmacht and SS officials in charge of procurement. Sponsored by the military, Schindler acquires a factory for the production of army mess kits. Not knowing much about how to properly run such an enterprise, he gains a close collaborator in Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), an official of Krakow's Judenrat (Jewish Council) who has contacts with the Jewish business community and the black marketers inside the Ghetto. The Jewish businessmen lend Schindler the money for the factory in return for a small share of products produced. Opening the factory, Schindler pleases the Nazis and enjoys his newfound wealth and status as "Herr Direktor", while Stern handles all the administration. Schindler hires Jewish Poles instead of Catholic Poles because they cost less (the workers themselves get nothing, the wages are paid to the SS). Workers in Schindler's factory are allowed outside the ghetto, and Stern falsifies documents to ensure that as many people as possible are deemed "essential" to the German war effort, which saves them from being transported to concentration camps, or being killed.