When people think of the Holocaust, they think of a dark age when Hitler and the Nazis attempted to completely annihilate the Jews. Millions of people were killed simply because they were identified as Jews and thousands others from various minority groups were killed for virtually no reason at all. I could not help but wonder what was everyone doing at this time, weren¡¯t there any people in their right mind? Through my research however, this question was answered. Amidst the hate, fury, anger, and confusion that identified this age there were a few sources of light and hope. These were the rescuers during the Holocaust, who at great personal risk actively helped members of persecuted groups, primarily Jews, during the defiance of Third Reich policy.
These rescuers came from various backgrounds. They were peasants and nannies, aristocrats and clergy, bakers and doctors, social workers and storekeepers, school children and police officers, diplomats and grandmothers. They were from many countries; the Netherlands, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, France, Hungary, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Belgium and other nations. While most people were following the flow of the age, persecuting and shunning the Jews, these people had the courage to stand up for what they believed was right.
There were several steps in order for one to become a rescuer. First, a rescuer had to recognize that a person was endangered, which was not always clear because of the propaganda and the secrecy of the Nazis. Many rescuers today recount that witnessing one horrifying incident between the Nazis¡¯s and their victims propelled them into becoming rescuers. Next, rescuers had to decide whether or not to assume the responsibility of helping, and risk the potential consequences. Public hangings, deportation to concentration camps, and on-the-spot shootings were very real consequences of helping enemies of the Third Reich. After the rescuers found ways to help, they took action. Sometimes the entire transformation from bystander to rescuer took just seconds.
People rescued others for various reasons. Some were motivated by a sense of morality. Others had a relationship with a particular person or group. Some were politically driven and were adamantly opposed to the Third Reich. Other rescuers were involved at work, as diplomats, nurses, social workers, and doctors, and continued their involvement beyond their professional obligation. Many children followed in their parents' footsteps and became rescuers.
Among these many rescuers, the name ¡®Oskar Schindler¡¯ is perhaps the most familiar to us. Through the award winning movie, ¡°Schindler¡¯s List,¡± his effort to save the lives of approximately 1200 Jews is very realistically portrayed.
Oskar Schindler was born in 1908 April 28, 1908, in Zwittau, Austria-Hungary, what is now Moravia in the Czech Republic. His parents, Hans and Louisa Schindler, were deeply religious, resulting in a strong Catholic household for Schindler and his younger sister Elfriede Schindler. The Schindler household was one of the most prominent and richest families in the region and this gave Oskar a vast scope of opportunities. A tall and handsome man, he was adored by the young woman around town and he had many affairs before deciding to settle down with Emily. After a few months of marriage though, Schindler began to fall apart, heavily abusing alcohol and having numerous affairs with other woman resulting in two children outside marriage. This chain of unfortunate events was further aggravated by the Great Depression as the Schindler machinery business went bankrupt. Oskar, almost completely broke, was forced to search for work in nearby Poland as a machinery salesman.
He dived headfirst into the black-market and the underworld and soon made friends with the local Gestapo authorities, softening them up with women, money, and alcohol. Through his newfound connections, Schindler found opportunity to start a business in 1939, when he came to Krakow amidst the German invasion. He was able to take over two previously Jewish owned companies that dealt with the manufacture and sales of enamel kitchenware products. In one of the businesses, however, Schindler was merely a trustee. Looking more for his own power, he opened up a small enamel shop right outside of Krakow near the Jewish ghetto. In his factories, he employed the cheapest labor possible, the nearby Jews. Schindler was able to amass a fortune through his new business and his factories in turn saved the Jews from the concentration camps nearby.
In the summer of 1942, Schindler witnessed a German raid on the Jewish ghetto. While he was watching innocent people being packed onto trains bound for certain death, something awakened in him. ¡°Beyond this day, no thinking person could fail to see what would happen,¡± he said later. ¡°I was now resolved to do everything in my power to defeat the system.¡±From then on, he used his connections to the German government to save people. He persuaded the S.S officers and the Armaments Administration that were in charge of the camps, to send a portion of the Jews to his factories.
Later in 1944, Germany's hold on Poland had weakened. As the Russian army was approaching, the Nazi's tried desperately to complete their program of liquidation and sent all remaining Jews to die. Schindler, again using his wide connections, received permission to reestablish his once defunct business as an armament production company in Bruunlitz. After some negotiating with S.S officials, he was able to transfer over 700 Jews from the Grossrosen camp, and another 300 women from Auschwitz to his factories. Once in Bruunlitz, these people were given the best medical treatment food and shelter that Schindler could provide.
Schindler, now confident that he could save more, got word that a train of evacuated Jews from the Golezow camp were stranded in the nearby city of Svitavy. Once again, Schindler was able to pull a few strings and received permission from the officials to transfer these Jews to his factory. After hauling the half-frozen 100 Jews from the rail-cars, Schindler and Emily tried all they could to nurse them back to help. Those that died were given a proper Jewish funeral, at the expense of Schindler.
Oskar Schindler used a phenomenal amount of money, approximately 4 million German Marks, an extreme fortune at that time, in not only feeding and clothing the Jews he saved but also by bribing and paying the government. By doing so, he put himself at great personal risk, and was even arrested two times while operating on many of his rescue missions. The main question is then, what motivated him into taking such a great risk? What motivated him to rescue so many people when he could safely use the money all by himself? Looking at Schindler¡¯s early life, he certainly wasn¡¯t a man of high morals; a gambler, a womanizer, and an alcoholic at that, with great personal ambitions. He was far from what one would see as a potential hero. His sacrifice still remains a mystery but reflecting on the many statements he made, for example, ¡°If you saw a dog going to be crushed under a car, wouldn't you help him?" it is certain that Schindler felt a certain obligation to do so. Many were probably disgusted at what was happening and wanted it to stop, but few had the courage to actually take action. Schindler was one of those few who had the courage to do so.
Another bold rescuer was Frank Foley, a British spy who also rescued thousands of Jews from the camps. Born in Highbridge, Somerset, in 1884, Frank Foley, a quiet and unassuming man, was an MI6 agent based at the British Embassy in Berlin during the 1930s. He witnessed the rise of the power of Hitler and- despite the propaganda and secrecy of the Nazi-was very much aware of the fate of the millions of Jewish people. Working as a passport control officer as a cover for his real job, he loosely interpreted the rules on visas and used his position to provide papers for the Jews to flee to Britain or Palestine. Not only did he forge passports but he also sheltered and protected Jews in his own home.
This was also a man of extreme courage, but compared to Schindler, he is relatively unknown. Many British people are now recognizing his significant courage and effort and are working to publicize his actions. Some think that his lack of recognition is because he was unable to help masses of Jews at a time as Schindler did and was not able to know any Jews personally. Whatever the reason, Foley was also one of those rare sources of light that gave hope to the Jews.
There were many other rescuers during the Holocaust who risked their lives to save the lives of others. Some, like Schindler and Foley have received international recognition and are being revered throughout history. Most, however, are little known to people and have been forgotten over the years. Rescuers came from all sorts of backgrounds and nationalities; Schindler was a German factory owner and Foley was a British spy. Each situation was also different. Despite differences in background, nationality or situation, they had two things in common, courage and morality. They did not worry about the circumstances and stood firmly on what they believed was right. Due to the exceptional bravery of these people, millions of Jews continue to live on in their gratitude.