Oskar Schindler

Oskar and his Schindlerjuden, or Schindler's Jews. (http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/hol-pix/h-schindler-02.jpg)

Oskar Schindler was a gambler, money loving man who seemed to be not have any morals. However, when he saved 1,100 Jews from certain death, risking his own life in the process, he showed his morals and his true colors. Schindler wasn't the typical sentimental man who became the unlikely beam of hope for the Jews, and they trusted him with their lives. Schindler was born on August 28th, 1908 in what is currently Czechoslovakia. He helped save over 1,100 Jews who would've been sentenced to a death camp by making his factories a safe haven for them. He also compiled a list of all the names of the Jews he saved. He lived from 1908 to 1974, living through World War 2 while residing in Germany. A hero like Schindler must possess veritable traits that show their worth. Schindler could've easily backed out of helping any people who were in need and taken to the high road. Instead, he proved why he is worthy of the title hero. Oskar Schindler is a hero because of his honest integrity, his command of extreme courage and bravery, and possessing great benevolence and mercy to others.

The actions and lengths he went to help the Jews greatly outweigh his immoral habits. One of his greatest traits was his benevolence to others. Oskar Schindler understood the needs and the survival of others and saved 1,100 Jews by employing them in his factories, thus saving them from a more unfortunate fate. "I just couldn't stand by and see people destroyed. I did ... what my conscience told me I must do."(Schindler, Oskar.) Schindler's conscience and benevolence granted him the power to act for the greater good and help others by acting upon the needs of his workers. Schindler understood his conscience and how the rest of his life would be affected if he didn't help the helpless. He realized he could in fact help these people live through this ordeal and so he decided to act on his better judgement. Schindler also proved his benevolence through his actions towards the Jews he was saving. "No one has been able to adequately explain why such a luxury-loving man risked his life so many times, and spent all of his fortune, in an effort that saved the lives of at least 1,100 Jewish people during World War II" (Oskar Schindler, Gale) Schindler didn't have to save the Jews and do the things he did. However, he wanted to be the better person, and despite being a man who enjoyed tangible achievements, he instead cast those away in favor of being a better person.It's hard to imagine how differently things would've been if Schindler hadn't decided to be so kind and merciful to those around him. Thanks to Schindler's benevolence, over 1,100 Jews and their ancestors were saved by one man's actions, and these actions resonated throughout the Jewish community.

Oskar Schindler. (http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me4ny8FfpZ1r90oo (Tumblr))

Schindler also presented incredible integrity in his actions and understood the honesty and his good actions would reflect later on. Schindler understood what needed to be done to stay honest and caring towards his workers. Abandoning his workers was always an open option for him, but he never took the easy way out. "Oskar Schindler has been described as a benefactor of slave labor, a crook, an alcoholic, and a womanizer. Yet this heroic factory owner made it his personal mission to protect as many Jews as possible from death at the hands of the Nazis" (UXL Biographies, Resource Center Gale) Schindler's integrity allowed him to realize that the Jews were being persecuted and he tried to save as many as he could. Jews' lives were spared thanks to Schindler's actions, who saved the thousand of Polish Jews and their families and generations to come. 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." (Pottinger) Schindler wanted to protect others from unnecessary harm and realized Hitler was killing all the Jews, making him uncomfortable. He realized that this was a violation of human rights and should do anything in his power to stop it. Something stirred in Schindler forcing him to take action because innocent people were dying and he could halt it if he attempted too. Schindler's integrity made him a savior of Jews and he knew that what Hitler and the Nazi party was doing was wrong, and in his own way he managed to rebel against them with his veracity.

But benevolence and integrity were not the only traits Schindler possessed. He also showed courage and bravery by risking his life to make sure, at the end of the day, his workers lived to see the next sunrise. Schindler became good friends with some Nazis to gain favor with them and have special benefits for his "prisoners." "Eventually, Schindler convinced Goeth (in exchange for a financial reward) to have a large labor camp built right on his factory premises...Schindler spent a great deal of his own money on raw materials for the Emalia camp, as it was called." (UXL Biographies, Gale Resource Center) Schindler was brave enough to bribe officials into letting him have his own camp and he could have been tried at any time for protecting Jews if he were to be caught. He used his power and wealth to convince Nazis to turn a blind eye to his activities, but he could be accused as a traitor if others found out. Schindler also showed incredible audaciousness even in the wake of possible death. "But Schindler had a somewhat different idea. He proposed establishing a labor subcamp within his factory that would continue to employ his own workers. He would run it, and the Plaszow guards would not be allowed on the premises without his permission. Schindler secured Goeth's support for this unusual plan after making it clear that cooperation would be generously compensated." (Encyclopedia of World Biography) This could've gone badly if the Nazi forces realized that Schindler was secretly housing Jews and not punishing them, but rather taking care of them. Luckily for Schindler, he wasn't caught and his illegal activities saved more lives than one can count. Overall, Oskar Schindler was an incredible man who deserved the title hero due to his benevolence, integrity, and bravery. The thousands of lives he saved will never be forgotten.

Oskar Schindler: A Righteous Gentile (http://cc.pbsstatic.com/l/05/3105/9780823933105.jp ())

Oskar Schindler was a great hero thanks to his integrity, benevolence, and audacity. Schindler was benevolent by employing his workers in safe havens, and his integrity allowed him to not rat them out and turn his workers in for a profit. He also showed commendable bravery in his actions. Schindler inspires me and others because of his willingness to keep saving others despite the tough situation around him. He kept going, and coming from a man who loved tangible things, it makes him even more heroic. Schindler is a man after my own heart. He understood the needs and rights of other humans and acted upon his conscience. Oskar Schindler will always go down in history as a great man who did good to mankind and his "Schindlerjuden" will always tell the tell of Oskar Schindler, the hero who saved their lives.