Schindlerjuden Explained

The , literally translated from German as "Schindler Jews", were a group of roughly 1,200 Jews saved by Oskar Schindler during the Holocaust. They survived the years of the Nazi regime primarily through the intervention of Schindler, who afforded them protected status as industrial workers at his enamelware factory in Kraków, capital of the General Government, and after 1944, in an armaments factory in occupied Czechoslovakia. There, they avoided being sent to death camps and survived the genocide. Schindler expended his personal fortune made as an industrialist to save the Schindlerjuden.

The story of the Schindlerjuden has been depicted in the book Schindler's Ark, by Thomas Keneally, and Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the novel, Schindler's List. Poldek Pfefferberg, one of the survivors, persuaded Keneally to write the novel and Spielberg to produce the film.

In 2012, over 8,500 descendants of were estimated to be living in the United States, Israel, and other countries.^[1]

List

The original list of transported to Schindler's Brünnlitz factory in Brněnec, occupied Czechoslovakia, was prepared by Mietek Pemper, Itzhak Stern and Oskar Schindler in September and October 1944. That list likely no longer exists.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Another list with 1,000 names, compiled by Pemper upon the prisoners' arrival on 21 October 1944 at Schindler's Brünnlitz factory, was presented by him to the International Tracing Service in 1958.^[5]

Two lists of 1,098 prisoners made by camp administrators in Brünnlitz on 18 April 1945 are also extant and preserved in Yad Vashem Memorial, where Oskar and wife Emilie Schindler are recognized among the Righteous.^{[6] [7]} The first list contains 297 female prisoners and the second contains 801 male prisoners. There are several preserved copies and carbon copies of the later list from April 1945, some in museums and others in private hands, mostly those of former prisoners' families.

Notable

• Abraham Bankier (1895–1956), businessman and Schindler's factory manager
• Joseph Bau (1920–2002), artist, poet and writer
• Moshe Bejski (1921–2007), Israeli supreme court justice
• (1914–2011), resistance fighter and Schindler's secretary
• (1889–1979), doctor and writer
• Meir Bosak (1912–1992), historian, writer and poet
• (1929–2014), musician and public speaker
• (1876–1950), doctor and writer
• Laura Hillman (1923-2020), museum docent and writer
• Ryszard Horowitz (born 1939), photographer
• Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig (1925–2018), maid of Amon Göth, documentary subject
• Leon Leyson (1929–2013), teacher and writer
• Mietek Pemper (1920–2011), stenographer and writer
• Poldek Pfefferberg (1913–2001), business owner who inspired Schindler's Ark, portrayed by Jonathan Sagall in Schindler's List
• Leo Rosner (1918–2008), musician
• Itzhak Stern (1901–1969), Schindler's accountant, portrayed by Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List
• Moshe Taube (1927–2020), scholar and cantor

Historiography

• Book: Barber, Terry. Oskar Schindler. Acts of Courage. Grass Roots Press. 2008. 9781894593854. Edmonton. 226302705.
• Book: Bau, Joseph. Dear God, have you ever gone hungry?. Arcade Publishing. 1998. 1559704314. New York. 38909925. Joseph Bau. A memoir by Schindler survivor Joseph Bau about his experiences during the Holocaust, being rescued by Schindler, and the impact of these experiences after the war.
• Book: Biederman, Mark. Schindler's Listed: The Search for My Father's Lost Gold. 2019. 9781644690086. Boston. 1066191883.
• Schindler: The Real Story. 1983. Blair. Jon. Documentary. Jon Blair. The documentary which provided much of the research for the Spielberg film.
• Book: Brecher, Elinor J.. Schindler's Legacy: True Stories of the List Survivors. Plume. 1994. 0525939415. New York, N.Y.. 31132329. A compilation of interviews with many of those saved by Schindler. Includes reports of their experiences in the concentration camps and with Schindler, and their stories of life after the war. Includes over one hundred personal photographs.
• Book: Byers, Anne. Oskar Schindler: Saving Jews From The Holocaust. Holocaust Heroes and Nazi Criminals. 2005. Enslow Publishing. 0766025349. Berkeley Heights, NJ. 56198745. A biography of Schindler, with emphasis on his rescue activities during the war. Part of the "Holocaust Heroes and Nazi Criminals" series for young adult readers. Includes glossary and index.
• Book: Crowe, David M.. Oskar Schindler: The Untold Account of His Life, Wartime Activities, and the True Story Behind the List. Westview Press. 2004. 081333375X. Cambridge, Mass.. 55679121. David M. Crowe. A comprehensive, academic account of Schindler's early life, business career, rescue attempts, and postwar experiences in Germany and Argentina. Based on numerous personal interviews and archival sources, including Schindler's personal papers discovered in 1997. Includes extensive bibliography and index.
• Book: Oskar Schindler and His List: The Man, the Book, the Film, the Holocaust and Its Survivors. 1995. 0839764723. Fensch. Thomas C.. Forest Dale, Vermont. 32346222. A collection of essays, articles, and interviews which illuminate Schindler and the international effect of his story. Includes a reprint of an article written about Schindler in 1949 and sections about Thomas Keneally's book Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the story, and issues and implications of the Holocaust.
• Book: Fogelman, Eva. Conscience and Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust. Anchor Books. 1994. 0385420277. New York. 28799011. Relates stories about Schindler and his efforts to save Jews in the context of other rescue efforts and courageous acts during the Holocaust. Examines the motivation of Schindler and other rescuers, including personal, psychological, and historical factors.
• Book: Freedman, Carl. Oskar Schindler Saved My Life. Xlibris. 2009. 9781441517180. 537640840.
• Book: Gruntová, Jitka. Legendy a fakta o Oskaru Schindlerovi. 2002. Naše vojsko. 8020606076. Praha, Česká republika. cs. 51191068. A comprehensive account of Schindler's life, creation of the famous list and the daily reality of the life in the Brünnlitz factory. Based on interviews, books and archival sources.
• Book: Hillman, Laura. i will plant you a lilac tree : a memoir of a Schindler's list survivor. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2005. 0689869800. New York. 55138767. Laura Hillman. The story of a Schindler's List survivor, her family, and her relationship with fellow inmate Dick Hillman in various concentration and labor camps during the Holocaust.
• Book: Keneally, Thomas. Schindler's Ark. Simon and Schuster. 1982. 067144977X. New York. 8627158. Thomas Keneally. A fictional recreation of the story of Oskar Schindler, an industrialist who saved 1,100 Jews from death by employing them in his factory in Kraków. Drawn from authentic records, the testimony of many of those saved by Schindler, and the author's extensive research. Published under the title Schindler's List in the United States.
• Book: Keneally, Thomas. Searching for Schindler: A memoir. 2008. 9780385526173. New York. 191922795. A memoir by the author of Schindler's Ark about the process of writing the novel, and the movie based on the novel that followed. Includes the stories of Schindler survivors, especially focusing on Leopold "Poldek" Pfefferberg.
• Book: Leyson, Leon. The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible... on Schindler's List. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. 2013. 9781442497825. New York, New York. 870564255. Leon Leyson. A memoir by one of the youngest Schindler survivors, who had to stand on a wooden box to operate factory machinery. Intended for young readers.
• Book: Meltzer, Milton. Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust. Harper & Row. 1988. 0060242094. New York. 55–67. Schindler's Jews. 16980718. registration. A brief, personal account of Schindler's life and heroism. Written for young adults.
• Book: Müller-Madej, Stella. A Girl From Schindler's List. DjaF. 2006. 8386774479. Kraków. 316442557. An autobiography by a young Schindler survivor and her family, from Kraków to Brünnlitz.
• Book: Rosner Blay, Anna. Sister, Sister. Hale & Iremonger. 1998. 0868066478. Sydney. 38830235. A biography of two sisters.
• Book: O'Neil, Robin. Oskar Schindler: Stepping Stone to Life: A Reconstruction of the Schindler Story. Susaneking.com. 2010. 9780984594313. League City, Texas. 841094409. Robin O'Neil. A biography focusing on Oskar Schindler's rescue activity during the Holocaust, based on published and unpublished materials and eyewitness interviews conducted on and off by the author since 1987.
• Book: Palowski, Franciszek. 9781559724456. The Making of Schindler's List: Behind the Scenes of an Epic Film. Ware. Anna. Ware. Robert G.. 1998. Carol Publishing . A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Schindler's List, including historical accounts of .
• Book: Pérez, Javier Gómez. Oskar Schindler's Jews: The 1,098 Jews Saved by Schindler. 2014. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform . 9781500629939. 969411593.
• Book: Pemper, Mieczysław. The Road to Rescue: The Untold Story of Schindler's List. Other Press. 2011. 9781590514948. New York. 707968457. Mietek Pemper. A Schindler survivor's personal account of his activities during the Holocaust, including his forced employment by Amon Göth, including the assistance he provided to Schindler in his rescue operations, and his testifying against Göth in his war crime trial after the end of the war.
• Book: Rawson, Andrew. Schindler's Krakow: The City Under The Nazis. Pen and Sword Military. 2015. 9781473827974. Barnsley, South Yorkshire. 927963107.
• Book: Revell, Anna. Oskar Schindler: The True Story of Schindler's List. 2017. Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp . 9781549563065. 1091624045.
• Book: Roberts, Jack L.. Oskar Schindler. The Importance Of. 1995. Lucent Books. 1560060794. San Diego. 32242305. Interweaves the biography of Oskar Schindler with the larger events of the Holocaust, including the rise of anti-Semitism and the implementation of the "Final Solution." Briefly discusses Schindler's life after the war. Includes photographs. Written for young adults.
• Book: Roberts, Jeremy. Oskar Schindler: Righteous Gentile. Holocaust Biographies (Nonfiction). Rosen Publ. Group. 2000. 0823933105. New York. 43993458.
• Book: Schindler, Emilie. Where Light and Shadow Meet: A Memoir. 1997. W W NORTON & Company . 9780393336177. Emilie Schindler. An autobiography by Oskar Schindler's wife, written with the help of Erika Rosenberg, telling her story from childhood to after the war. Presents a detailed, behind-the-scenes account of the list's development and the steps taken to save Jews. Includes numerous photos and two maps.
• Book: Seliger, Mark. When They Came to Take My Father: Voices of the Holocaust. Arcade Pub. 2012. 9781611455021. 793726774. Includes a section on Sol Urbeck.
• Book: Sher, Aubrey J.. Leopold And Oskar: Page - No. 173 Of Schindler's List. 2009. AuthorHouse . 9781438974187.
• Book: Silver, Eric. The Book of the Just: The Unsung Heroes Who Rescued Jews from Hitler. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 1992. 0802113478. London. 147–152. The Few Who Disobeyed. 25632453. https://archive.org/details/bookofjustth00silv/page/147. Uses personal testimony and historical documents to construct a more personal picture of Schindler and to describe the great lengths he took to save Jews by employing them in his factory and bargaining for their lives.
• Book: Skotnicki, Aleksander B.. Oskar Schindler in the Eyes of Cracovian Jews Rescued by Him. Wydawn. AA. 2008. 9788389368997. Kraków. 228073965. Examines Schindler's legacy through testimony gathered from the Polish Jews saved by his efforts. Contains articles discussing Schindler, the list, and Płaszów concentration camp and the enamelware factory. A short list of films, press reports, and books is also presented, along with numerous photos from a variety of sources.
• Book: Spielberg, Steven. Testimony: The Legacy of Schindler's List and the USC Shoah Foundation. USC Shoah Foundation. 2014. 9780062285188. New York, NY. 874131335.
• Book: Trautwein, Dieter. Oskar Schindler, -- immer neue Geschichten : Begegnungen mit dem Retter von mehr als 1200 Juden. de. 2000.
• Book: Thompson, Bruce. Oskar Schindler. People Who Made History. 2002. Greenhaven Press. 0737708948. San Diego. 47844895.
• Book: Wukovits, John F.. Oskar Schindler. Heroes & Villains. Lucent Books. 2002. 156006952X. San Diego. 49029597.
• Book: Zuckerman, Abraham. A Voice in the Chorus: Memories of a Teenager Saved by Schindler . Longmeadow Press. 1994. 0681007850. Stamford, CT. 30158776. A survivor's personal narrative describing his life in Kraków before the war, his imprisonment in concentration camps, and his rescue by Oskar Schindler. Also tells of his life after the war. Includes personal photographs. Previously published as A Voice in the Chorus: Life as a Teenager in the Holocaust.

External links

• List of 1098 Schindlerjuden (Schindler Jews), a copy from the Auschwitz museum
• Schindler: Stepping-stone to Life
• SCHINDLERJUDEN: WHY DID HE DO IT?, Villanova University

Notes and References

1. News: Survivor of the Holocaust tells how Schindler saved her life. Smith. Larry. 28 March 2012. Tribune 242. 2018-11-24. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20181030081212/http://www.tribune242.com/news/2012/mar/28/survivor-of-the-holocaust-tells-how-schindler/. 30 October 2018. live. dmy-all.
2. News: Mietek Pemper . https://web.archive.org/web/20130726094518/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8578020/Mietek-Pemper.html . . June 11, 2011 . 2013-07-26 . October 27, 2012 .
3. News: Oskar Schindler's collaborator, Mietek Pemper, has died . . . 2011-06-15 . 2011-06-26.
4. News: Douglas . Martin . Mietek Pemper, 91, Camp Inmate Who Compiled Schindler's List . https://web.archive.org/web/20110621040823/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/world/europe/19pemper.html?_r=1 . . 18 June 2011 . 2011-06-21 . 27 October 2012 .
5. http://www.its-arolsen.org/en/help_and_faq/sample_documents/index.html#c2713 Sample Documents from the ITS Archives
6. Web site: Oskar and Emilie Schindler www.yadvashem.org. www.yadvashem.org. en. 2018-11-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20171204220038/http://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/schindler. 2017-12-04. live.
7. Web site: Schindler's entire List. www.oskarschindler.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20181030130946/http://www.oskarschindler.com/list.htm. 2018-10-30. live. 2018-11-24.