Schindler's list: New documents reveal the fate of 1000 Jews

Schindler's list: New documents reveal the fate of 1000 Jews

More than 1000 names on 19 pages - that is the heartbeat of one of the most moving stories of the Second World War. This list, known as the "Schindler's list", includes the names of Jews, which were preserved from the tireless efforts of the Sudeten German manufacturer Oskar Schindler from safe death in the concentration camps. Schindler once produced war utensils in his German email goods factory in Krakow, but when National Socialist violence progressed, his entrepreneurial commitment turned into a rescue mission.

The story of Oskar Schindler gained worldwide awareness after the publication of Steven Spielberg's film of the same name by Steven Spielberg. However, the narrative of humanity and contradiction is not yet fully told. Fuel for this story came in 1999 when a treasure chest full of documents from Schindler's estate was found in an attic in Hildesheim, including a version of the famous list. On the occasion of Oskar Schindler's 50th day of death, the Federal Archives have now set up an online focus to illuminate this important story.

an entrepreneur among the National Socialists

Oskar Schindler, a career -conscious man in 1908, joined the National Socialists at the beginning of the war - a decision that led him to the areas of Poland occupied by Germany. With the firm goal of making profit, he leased a factory near Krakow, where he made products for the Wehrmacht. He sent many disenfranchised Polish Jews to his factory as cheap workers. However, you should soon be more than just workers for war purposes.

When the Jews in the region increasingly suffered from the pressure of the Nazi occupiers, Schindler began to change his philosophy. He could no longer ignore the brutal arrests and the deportations. For this reason, he set up accommodations for his Jewish workers to preserve them from the fate of the concentration camps. Schindler brought his employees to convince that they were indispensable for production -related reasons, and finally hired more Jews.

The rescue of thousands of human life

When the situation continued to worsen, he managed to put a total of 1100 people on his list. At the end of the war, when the Soviet army moved closer, Schindler let his factory move to Sudetenland. Despite violent clashes with the Nazi authorities, which increasingly put him under pressure, he managed to take his protégés with them. Together with his wife Emilie, he also took up a group of Jewish forced laborers who had fled from Auschwitz. This initiative saved hundreds of life that would otherwise have been sentenced to death.

After the end of the war and the surrender of Germany, life for Schindler and his wife was shaped by other dimensions. Their survival was secured, but they lost almost everything and fought for survival financially. Oskar Schindler received support from the survivors he had saved, but he never found the economic success of his earlier days again. In 1962 he was given the title "Just among the peoples" in Israel - an award for people who helped Jews during the Holocaust.

The eventful story of Schindler also provides human complex facets. Michel Friedman, a publicist and son of "Schindler-Jewen", described Schindler as a simple man, no intellectual and morally questionable. He drank a lot and had numerous relationships, but despite these not exactly ideal properties, Schindler showed a remarkable ability to practice humanity under extreme circumstances. "This is remarkable," said Friedman, "that he campaigned for others in the face of the horror."

in 1974 Oskar Schindler died and in the years after his documents and the list were passed on several times. The estate documents were secured in the Federal Archives and found their way to the Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem. From there, an original impact of the famous list came into the archives of Koblenz. These documents stand for more than just names; They represent lives, fates and the tireless hope of rescue during the darkest times of human history.

The suitcase with Schindler's historical documents and pictures illustrates the scope of his work. Among them are children's drawings of former Jewish workers who show touching information and the connection between Schindler and the people he saved. For example, a child painted a heart with the words: "To Mr. Schindler, with dear Debbie." These messages testify to gratitude and deep humanity that bloomed in the shadow of war.

Some of the information about this important and moving story can be found in the online offer of the Federal Archives, where further details and the background of the saved ones can be explored: www.juedische-allgemeine.de .