Oskar Schindler

"But the Hebrew word, the word timshel-'Thou mayest'- that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if 'Thou mayest'-it is also true that 'Thou mayest not."-John Steinbeck, East of Eden. To say you have no choice is to relieve yourself of responsibility. This was not Oskar Schindler. Born in Moravia in 1908, Schindler soon moved to Germany where he joined Hitler's Nazi party. Schindler was raised with kind-hearted morals and did not join this extremist party because he supported their beliefs: rather, he joined because he sought to benefit financially during World War 2. As a war profiteer, Schindler worked his way to the top of the German financial pyramid using his business savvy intellect; however, he was notorious for being a high-risk gambler and womanizer. After creating a factory, which would produce war supplies, Schindler employed approximately 1,100 Jewish men and woman to work there. Although at first they were no more than property, he would come to the realization of their worth and save them from the impending death awaiting them at the concentration camps. Oskar Schindler was just a man trying to triumph among the coldhearted imbeciles who exploited the Jewish people, and had built his factory seeking nothing more than wealth and financial security; however, when a fork in the road presented itself, Schindler had a change of heart. He came to the realization that Nazis were wrong, and that he could not conform; Schindler took the road less traveled by and tirelessly worked to protect each and every life of his precious workers. The Oskar Schindler that came to Germany to make millions and smoke cigars vanished. Oscar Schindler's motives were noble despite the circumstances of impoverishment and destitution throughout Europe; he was no longer in it for himself, but rather for something much greater.

Oskar Schindler's selflessness and compassion for others is among the most prevalent of his heroic traits. Schindler realized that the value held in his worker's lives ranked much higher than any materialistic objects. "He succeeded in his quest for riches, but by the end of the war he had spent everything he made on keeping 1,300 Jewish men and women alive" (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Schindler could not stand and watch others being mistreated with such severity and therefore abandoned the comfort of financial security to pursue saving their lives. Oskar Schindler was indeed a business man, but more so Oskar Schindler was a human; kind-hearted and sympathetic. Schindler valued his morals above all else, "Despite widespread food shortages, they [the workers] could also count on eating much better than those imprisoned in the main camp at Plaszow because their boss [Schindler] regularly purchased his supplies on the black market at exorbitant rates. Nor did they have to endure the degrading living conditions in the main camp, because they were housed right in the factory"(Oskar Schindler, Gale). Schindler recognized the pain that "his children" were enduring and was willing to risk all he owned to comfort them. He held the well-being and safety of his workers higher than that of his own safety and financial wealth, something that only a man with an extraordinary heart could do. Schindler was the only thing standing between life and death for his Jewish workers, the very fact that he kept them alive was enough to earn their love. In a way, Schindler was their savior, believed by many of the religious Jews as an "angel sent from God". The connection between Schindler and the Jews grew as the days progressed, and the emotional attachment that he acquired to these "swine" as referred to by his Nazi Co-Members showed that he was not to be compared with his ignorant Nazis. He was different.  Oskar Schindler did not stop at simply saving their lives, he provided for them as if they were his own children. Oskar Schindler's selflessness and will to help others no matter the cost are what place his among very few truly great human beings.

Schindler's unimaginable loyalty and unconditional care to the people who did nothing but work for him is perhaps his most honorable and hero-like trait. Throughout the course of Schindler's altruism toward the Jews, he never strayed from his morals and abandoned his workers, ''In October 1944, after the SS transferred the Emalia Jews to Plaszow, Schindler sought and obtained authorization to relocate his plant to Brünnlitz (Brnenec) in Moravia, and reopen it exclusively as an armaments factory"(Holocaust History, Oskar Schindler). Schindler emotional connection with the people he was determined to save could not be stopped by any circumstance. He used his devilish charm, and executive connections for selfless reasons, and forfeited every last penny of his earnings to keep "his children" safe. Despite being laughed at and questioned Schindler paid incongruous amounts of money for his people. Schindler could have easily abandoned his workers and continued to benefit from the war; however, he stood by his beloved workers no matter the circumstances. Schindler had never been a supporter of Hitler, and he came to the realization that eventually he would have to reward his loyalty to one side or the other. "From the earliest days of the war, he had displayed a sense of humanity and concern for his workers that set him apart from most of the other Germans the Jews of Krakow encountered. But now, faced with the task of actually having to name those he wanted to save, Schindler realized that his choices were quite literally a matter of life and death for people he had come to know and respect. No longer could he act solely out of self-interest as a war profiteer" (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Schindler knew that somewhere along the line he would have to put his loyalty in either a cause that would benefit him, or a cause that would benefit the people he cared for. He knew that protecting his workers would be a task far harder and riskier, however he chose to remain loyal to his workers because he knew it was the right thing to do. Schindler's loyalty to the people he loves shows his immense will to stay true to himself, and never abandon the fight for what is right.

Oskar Schindler is held to such a high degree of admiration because of his ability to accomplish any task that he has set his mind to, no matter what obstacles are put in his way. It may seem that Schindler's operation to save his Jewish workers went unnoticed; however, it stirred the attention and anger of many, ''Schindler did not act here without risk or cost; his protection of his Jewish workers and some of his shady business dealings led SS and police authorities to suspect him of corruption and of giving unauthorized aid to Jews. German SS and police officials arrested him three times, while he owned Emalia, but were unable to charge him"(Oskar Schindler, Gale). His own peers and countrymen put Schindler to trial; he was cornered from all sides with beliefs that differed from his. Although he would have to overcome adversity in order to continue in his path to saving his workers, this is the path he wished to take. Schindler was determined to rescue his people, which meant keeping silent in a country where noise was dangerous, "To make sure his camp stayed open, Schindler regularly handed out bribes to selected SS officers"(Holocaust History, Oskar Schindler). Schindler was willing to risk his financial security, his reputation as a man, and even his own life in order to accomplish this task that he deemed worthy of so much. Schindler 's determination and drive to save a people whom he has no connection with shows the immense power of the human will to do what is right no matter what circumstances are required.

"Beyond this day, no thinking person could fail to see what would happen"-Oskar Schindler. Oskar Schindler saw the terrible things that were coming, and he chose to step in. Schindler took the road less traveled by and risked everything simply because he felt it was the right pathway. Oscar Schindler chose to rise above the nation of shallow people who hated the Jews, and act on what he believed was moral in his heart. Although he encountered many setbacks during this period of great bravery, Schindler stayed strong and accomplished his goal of saving his worker's lives. Oskar Schindler perfectly portrays the incredible ability of the individual to overcome obstacles in the quest for what is right. People must observe Schindler's character and morals in order to realize that you are truly the gatekeeper to your own destiny. Oskar Schindler has been called a savior, an "angel sent by god", and the greatest of hero's; however, above that I believe that he is a simply a man. Schindler was greedy, and selfish; nevertheless, when granted the opportunity to make all the difference in the world, Schindler took it. With this it is evident that financial or social circumstances are insignificant in defining who you are, the true definition of a person is the ability to make the right choice when faced with adversity.