Schindlerjuden
Encyclopedia
The Schindlerjuden, literally translated as "Schindler Jews", were roughly 1,000 to 1,200 Jews
who were saved by Oskar Schindler
during the Holocaust. Their story 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, convinced Thomas Keneally to write the novel and Steven Spielberg to produce the film.
The end of the film shows actual, color footage of the Schindlerjuden depicting each putting a stone on Schindler's grave. They (or their surviving relative(s)) are each accompanied by the actor who portrayed them as they do so. Other mourners in the scene include the widow of Itzhak Stern
, accompanied by the actor who portrayed her husband in the film, Ben Kingsley
; Schindler's widow, Emilie Schindler
; and the actor who portrays Schindler himself in the film, Liam Neeson
. Neeson is the last one to approach the grave, and instead of a stone he places two red roses in the center. Appropriately, he is accompanied by no one, and his face is not shown.
In 2006, there were estimated to be over 7,000 descendants of Schindler's Jews living in the US, Europe, and Israel.
In April 2009 a list (including 801 names) was found in Sydney
among the documentation Thomas Keneally gave as a donation to an Australian library. Another list with 1000 names, compiled by former camp stenographer Mieczyslaw Pemper upon the prisoners' arrival October 21, 1944 at Schindler's Brünnlitz factory, was presented by Pemper to the International Tracing Service
in 1958.
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
who were saved by Oskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler was an ethnic German industrialist born in Moravia. He is credited with saving over 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories, which were located in what is now Poland and the Czech Republic respectively.He is the subject of the...
during the Holocaust. Their story has been depicted in the book Schindler's Ark
Schindler's Ark
Schindler's Ark is a Booker Prize-winning novel published in 1982 by Australian Thomas Keneally, which was later adapted into the highly successful movie Schindler's List directed by Steven Spielberg...
, by Thomas Keneally
Thomas Keneally
Thomas Michael Keneally, AO is an Australian novelist, playwright and author of non-fiction. He is best known for writing Schindler's Ark, the Booker Prize-winning novel of 1982 which was inspired by the efforts of Poldek Pfefferberg, a Holocaust survivor...
, and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's film adaptation of the novel, Schindler's List
Schindler's List
Schindler's List is a 1993 American film about Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on the novel Schindler's Ark...
. Poldek Pfefferberg
Poldek Pfefferberg
Leopold "Poldek" Pfefferberg, , also known as Leopold Page, Library of Congress. Retrieved 8 September 2006. was a Polish-American Holocaust survivor who inspired the Australian writer Thomas Keneally to write the Booker prize-winning novel Schindler's Ark, which in turn was the basis for Steven...
, one of the survivors, convinced Thomas Keneally to write the novel and Steven Spielberg to produce the film.
The end of the film shows actual, color footage of the Schindlerjuden depicting each putting a stone on Schindler's grave. They (or their surviving relative(s)) are each accompanied by the actor who portrayed them as they do so. Other mourners in the scene include the widow of Itzhak Stern
Itzhak Stern
Itzhak Stern was a Jewish accountant to German industrialist Oskar Schindler. He worked alongside Schindler as the accountant for his enamelware company in Kraków and greatly helped in running the company...
, accompanied by the actor who portrayed her husband in the film, Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
; Schindler's widow, Emilie Schindler
Emilie Schindler
Emilie Schindler was a humanitarian who, with her husband Oskar Schindler, helped to save the lives of 1,200 to 1,700 Jews during World War II...
; and the actor who portrays Schindler himself in the film, Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
. Neeson is the last one to approach the grave, and instead of a stone he places two red roses in the center. Appropriately, he is accompanied by no one, and his face is not shown.
In 2006, there were estimated to be over 7,000 descendants of Schindler's Jews living in the US, Europe, and Israel.
In April 2009 a list (including 801 names) was found in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
among the documentation Thomas Keneally gave as a donation to an Australian library. Another list with 1000 names, compiled by former camp stenographer Mieczyslaw Pemper upon the prisoners' arrival October 21, 1944 at Schindler's Brünnlitz factory, was presented by Pemper to the International Tracing Service
International Tracing Service
The International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen, Germany, is the internationally governed archive whose task it is to document the fate of millions of civilian victims of Nazi Germany. The documents in the ITS archives include original records from concentration camps, details of forced labour,...
in 1958.
External links
- Saved by Oscar Schindler www.schindlerjews.com. Retrieved 9 September 2006.
- Daily Mail story on sale of the original list