Oskar Schindler and the Jewish People He Saved

It’s September 1939 in Nazi-occupied Poland. Hitler and his followers look stronger than ever following their recent invasions. The horrifying, discriminative ideas of Hitler have now spread like wildfire throughout the center of Europe, leaving anyone who is of the Jewish faith in fear. Unprotected and petrified, the Jewish people have been left for dead until one single decides to stand up. This man’s name is Oskar Schindler and he is responsible for saving a thousand Jewish people from death in Poland during World War 2. Schindler’s actions have him still considered one of the greatest heroes of the 20th century. Schindler exhibits his heroism in acts of courage, generosity, and his display of initiative during several accounts throughout World War 2 and the Holocaust.

Oskar Schindler was born in 1908, where what is now the Czech Republic. In the 1920s, Schindler took a job as a sales manager for an electric company, which relocated him to Poland. Nineteen years later, Poland falls to Hitler and Nazi Germany, leaving the Polish people in a war they do not want to be in. Among these people is Schindler, who spent most of his time in the 1930 making friends with Nazis to escape their reign and terror (Browse Biography). Although the Nazis’ ideas of Aryan Superiority spread throughout Poland, Schindler often showed courage and stood up to the Nazis. Schindler often kissed or showed affection to the Jewish people, even though it was against the law, hoping people would realize that Jewish people were the same as Aryan people. Schindler often hired Jewish people and gave them jobs, food, and shelter from the harsh discrimination they received from the Nazis (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Schindler also was one of the few peopl...

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...ro in all aspects because he was courageous, generous, and he worked with initiative. The actions of Schindler have always been appreciated, but they were recognized world-wide in 1962 when he was awarded the title of “Righteous Gentile” (Oskar Schindler Biography). The people who Schindler saved had also given themselves the title of “Schindlerjuden,” or the Jews of Schindler, out of respect (Browse Biography). As documented, Schindler affected the lives of many people and deserves the title of “hero.”

Works Cited

“Oskar Schindler.” Browse Biography. Web. 2/6/2014. www.browsebiography.com/print_p.ph?url=oskarschindler.

“Oskar Schindler.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. Vol. 18. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 2/6/2014. notablebiographies.com

“Oskar Schindler Biography.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 2/6/2014.

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