Oskar Schindler German Businessman By: Jourdynn Burge

Oskar Schindler Born: April 28, 1908 Zwittau, Moravia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (Now Czech Republic) Death: October 9, 1974 Frankfurt, Germany Mother: Louisa – homemaker Father: Hans – factory worker Siblings: Elfriede School: Sudetenland

Emilie Schindler Oskar Schindlers wife Married on March 6, 1928 Wedding and celebration were in an inn on the outskirts of Zwittau

Schindler’s Factory Schindler employed Jews in his factory to protect them from the Nazis during World War II

Facts/Quote 1993 – 9 million Jews lived in Europe 2 out of 3 European Jews had been killed by 1945 1.5 million children were murdered 3.5 million Jews occupied Poland before WWII Now there are between 3,000-4,000 The Holocaust survivor Abel Herzberg has said: "There were not six million Jews murdered; there was one murder, six million times."

Hitler on the Rise Hitler began stirring up feelings among the Sudeten Germans They were supposed to be with Germany not Czechoslovakia 1935 - Schindler joined the pro-Nazi Sudeten German Party For business move not out of love

Krakow, Poland September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland Schindler arrived and made friendships with the Wehrmacht (the German army) and the SS (the special armed Nazi unit) Oskar bought a kitchenware factory and employed Itzhak Stern, a Jewish accountant as the bookkeeper He searched Krakow’s Jewish communities to employ workers so they didn’t have to leave the city

June of 1942 Nazi’s sent Krokow’s Jews to labor camps Some of his worker’s were on the first list so he mentioned names of his Nazi friends to the SS at the train station He said they were “essential workers to the war effort”

1943 The “liquidation” of the Krakow ghetto was ordered Amon Goeth, SS officers, the commandant of the Plaszow forced labor camp was put in charge Schindler bribed Goeth to allow him to run a mini-labor camp inside his factory and employ his own workers

Early 1944 Plaszow's destination was changed Now sent to concentration camps Auschwitz Schindler’s factory ordered to close so he went to Goeth and once again bribed him His factory was going to move to Czechoslovakia to continue to supply the Third Reich (Hitler’s army) He was to make a list of who he wanted to take with him

The List Matter of life or death 1,100 names All employees of the Emalia camp and others

Fall 1944 Moved his factory to Brunnlitz, Czechoslovakia by making bribes Pazlow camp liquidation began in October 800 men shipped in boxcars to Brunnlitz 300 women and children were sent to Auschwitz by mistake Schindler rescued them and sent them to Brunnlitz also His factory never produced a single shell over the next 7 months Purposefully sabotaged the machines so they would fail quality tests

The War Ends May 8, 1945 Germany surrenders Called meeting with workers in factory to tell them the war had ended Moment of silence for the dead Him and his wife fled west to avoid Russian troops The 1,200 or more Schindlerjuden ("Shindler's Jews") were freed from the factory by a Russian officer

After World War II Failed businesses Overspending Drinking Love affairs 1949 moved to Argentina and went bankrupt Relied on B'nai B'rith, Jewish charity, to survive 1958 abandoned wife and moved back to West Germany

After World War II Started a cement business in Frankfurt, Germany but it failed in 1961 Visited Israel every year for a couple of weeks to visit the Schindlerjuden and their families

1962 54 birthday Declared a “Righteous Gentile” Non-Jew Planted a tree on the Avenue of the Righteous Led to Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Museum Memorial to the Holocaust Name of the liquidation by Germans during World War II

1974 Oskar Schindler died from heart and liver problems Hildesheim, Germany Wanted to be buried in Israel Mount Zion, Jerusalem About five hundred Schindlerjuden were present Saved more than 6,000 people including Holocaust survivors and their future ancestors

Oskar Schindler 1909-1974

Sources www.notablebiographies.com http://www.oskarschindler.org www.auschwitz.dk www.ushmm.org www.historyplace.com