20 Facts About Oskar Schindler
1. He saved more Jews from the gas chambers than any other person during WWII.
2. Oskar was born on the 28th of April 1908 in Zwittau, Moravia Austria- Hungary.
3. Schindler died on October 9th 1974, aged 66 in Hildesheim, West Germany.
4. He is buried in Jerusalem, Israel.
5. He ran his own factory in Plaszow, in which he employed Jews. He had to bribe Amon Goeff, the SS officer in charge, to do so.
6. Plaszow shut down in early 1944. This meant that camps closed down as well as his factory.
7. After more bribes, Oskar moved his factory and workers to Czechoslovakia, so they can continue to supply the Nazi army with the things they need.
8. In 1449, Schindler surrendered, moved to Argentina and purchased a farm.
9. He was arrested several times because of drunkenness.
10. In 1958, Oskar abandoned his wife and returned to West Germany.
11. Oskar Schindler was born into a wealthy business family. He was inspired by his family's success to also become a businessman.
12. Before the Holocaust, he used to be a prolific drinker.
13. In order to get profit, he bought an enamel-producing factory in Krakow and employed Jews as cheap labor.
14. He used to hide Jewish investors for money, but then started to give them refuge, regardless of money.
15. He started to save and protect Jews after he saw the appalling murder and torture at the Plaszow concentration camp.
16. In order to avoid investigation of his property for Jews, he had to persuade and bribe government officials.
17. After spending millions on protecting and saving Jews, he went bankrupt in 1958.
18. He saved approximately 1,200 Jews in total.
19. He used to be a former member of the Nazi party, which means that he supported discrimination against the Jews (Anti-Semitism).
20. He first joined the Nazi party in order to capitalize on the war.
No one will ever know exactly what made this complex man do what no German had the courage to do. A large part of the fascination of Schindler is that not even those who admire him most can figure out his motives. But Oskar Schindler rose to the highest level of humanity, walked through the bloody mud of the Holocaust without soiling his soul, his compassion, his respect for human life - and gave his Jews a second chance at life. He miraculously managed to do it and pulled it off by using the very same talents that made him a war profiteer - his flair for presentation, bribery, and grand gestures.
Oskar Schindler was a sentimentalist who loved the simplicity of doing good. A man full of flaws like the rest of us. An ordinary man who even in the worst of circumstances did extraordinary things, matched by no one. The unlikeliest of all role models who started by earning millions as a war profiteer and ended by spending his last pfennig and risking his life to save his 1300 Schindlerjews.
Oskar Schindler not only saved their lives - he saved our faith in humanity ...
2. Oskar was born on the 28th of April 1908 in Zwittau, Moravia Austria- Hungary.
3. Schindler died on October 9th 1974, aged 66 in Hildesheim, West Germany.
4. He is buried in Jerusalem, Israel.
5. He ran his own factory in Plaszow, in which he employed Jews. He had to bribe Amon Goeff, the SS officer in charge, to do so.
6. Plaszow shut down in early 1944. This meant that camps closed down as well as his factory.
7. After more bribes, Oskar moved his factory and workers to Czechoslovakia, so they can continue to supply the Nazi army with the things they need.
8. In 1449, Schindler surrendered, moved to Argentina and purchased a farm.
9. He was arrested several times because of drunkenness.
10. In 1958, Oskar abandoned his wife and returned to West Germany.
11. Oskar Schindler was born into a wealthy business family. He was inspired by his family's success to also become a businessman.
12. Before the Holocaust, he used to be a prolific drinker.
13. In order to get profit, he bought an enamel-producing factory in Krakow and employed Jews as cheap labor.
14. He used to hide Jewish investors for money, but then started to give them refuge, regardless of money.
15. He started to save and protect Jews after he saw the appalling murder and torture at the Plaszow concentration camp.
16. In order to avoid investigation of his property for Jews, he had to persuade and bribe government officials.
17. After spending millions on protecting and saving Jews, he went bankrupt in 1958.
18. He saved approximately 1,200 Jews in total.
19. He used to be a former member of the Nazi party, which means that he supported discrimination against the Jews (Anti-Semitism).
20. He first joined the Nazi party in order to capitalize on the war.
No one will ever know exactly what made this complex man do what no German had the courage to do. A large part of the fascination of Schindler is that not even those who admire him most can figure out his motives. But Oskar Schindler rose to the highest level of humanity, walked through the bloody mud of the Holocaust without soiling his soul, his compassion, his respect for human life - and gave his Jews a second chance at life. He miraculously managed to do it and pulled it off by using the very same talents that made him a war profiteer - his flair for presentation, bribery, and grand gestures.
Oskar Schindler was a sentimentalist who loved the simplicity of doing good. A man full of flaws like the rest of us. An ordinary man who even in the worst of circumstances did extraordinary things, matched by no one. The unlikeliest of all role models who started by earning millions as a war profiteer and ended by spending his last pfennig and risking his life to save his 1300 Schindlerjews.
Oskar Schindler not only saved their lives - he saved our faith in humanity ...