Oskar Schindler

There were also Germans who sympathized with the Jewish plight as well. A select few did everything they could to save a handful of these people from the horrors of the extermination camps. Oskar Schindler was one of these, during the war he ran a factory that employed and therefore saved over a thousand Jews. He exhausted his entire personal fortune in his crusade to save those Jews in his factory. In order to do so he had to use bribery, threats, and blackmail to save his “Schindler Juden” as they became know after the war. At times he placed himself in grave personal danger by protecting a group of people that no one was supposed to care about. Of himself, Schindler once said, “I am the conscience of those who know something, but do nothing.”

Schindler was able to survive the war and save over a thousand Jews in the process. His efforts left him penniless and in exile. However, for the rest of his life he had the undying gratitude of those he had helped in their darkest hour. In this activity you will be writing in the role of Oskar Schindler. Utilize the links below to investigate the character and experience of this enigmatic man. You are to use the information you find to evaluate your own opinions on his motives and methods in his factory during the war. For this project you are to write a publication for the Jewish factory workers from Schindler. Your audience is comprised of over a thousand Jewish men, women, and children who depend on you for their survival. It should contain stories relating Schindler’s efforts and plans for the future. Include uplifting stories from among the factory workers and editorials against the Nazi regime. Please make sure to have images of the Holocaust with appropriate captions, student created political cartoons, editorials, and news stories.

• Jewish Virtual Library
(http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/schindler.html)
This site is a general biography that focuses on the wartime experience of Schindler. It also provides a number of useful images for the publication.

• Oskar Schindler
(http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/index.php?ModuleId=10005787 )
This includes a short biography which is supported by a number of valuable links.

• Remember the Holocaust
(http://auschwitz.dk/Schindler2.htm)
Contains a detailed biography of Schindler’s life in its entirety. This includes a wealth of supporting links and useful images.

• The Righteous
(http://www.yad-vashem.org.il/righteous/bycountry/germany/oskar_schindler.html )
This is a more detailed biography than most of the others. Useful in unearthing detailed knowledge of the life of Oskar Schindler.
• Waging Peace
(http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/peaceheroes/oskar_schindler.htm )
This Internet site provides an assessment of Schindler’s motives and methods in saving his factory workers. It is a positive critique on a man who is surrounded in mystery.

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