A German Tries To Save His Jewish Employees From The German Soldiers

Summary

The video offers an in-depth look at the Oscar-winning film 'Schindler's List,' a historical war-drama based on true events. It follows Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who initially seeks profit by employing Jews in his factory during the Holocaust. As the horrors of the Nazi regime unfold, Schindler's motivations shift, leading him to risk everything to save over a thousand lives by creating a list of essential workers for his factory. The film poignantly captures the transformation of a profiteer into a savior, highlighting the power of individual choice amidst the darkest chapters of history.

Takeaways

• 🎬 The film 'Schindler's List' is a historical war-drama based on true events, highlighting the atrocities of the Holocaust.
• 🇵🇱 The movie opens with the German invasion of Poland in 1939, leading to the forced relocation of Polish Jews to Krakow.
• 📋 The bureaucratic process of registering Jews is depicted, showing the initial stages of systematic persecution.
• 🍷 Oskar Schindler, a German businessman, strategically builds relationships with Nazi officials to gain influence and access.
• 🏭 Schindler acquires an enamelware factory, using Jewish investors and employing Jews as cheap labor, which also protects them from deportation.
• 🤝 Schindler's relationship with Itzhak Stern, his Jewish accountant, is pivotal in the operation of the factory and the eventual saving of lives.
• 🔄 The film illustrates the harsh realities within the Krakow Ghetto and the brutal efficiency of the Plaszów concentration camp.
• 👗 Amon Goeth, a sadistic Nazi officer, is portrayed as a symbol of the cruel and arbitrary power wielded in the camps.
• 📜 Schindler compiles a list of workers to save them from extermination, showcasing his transformation from profiteer to savior.
• 💸 Schindler's financial sacrifices to bribe Nazi officials and secure the safety of his workers are a testament to his commitment.
• 🕍 Post-liberation, Schindler is honored by the Jews he saved, and his legacy is cemented as a Righteous Among the Nations.

Q & A

What is the historical context of the movie 'Schindler's List'?

The movie is set during World War II, starting with the German Army's defeat of the Polish Army in late 1939, which led to the relocation of Polish Jews to Krakow.

Who is Oskar Schindler and what is his initial motivation in the film?

Oskar Schindler is a German businessman and member of the Nazi Party who initially seeks to profit from the war by opening an enamelware factory using Jewish investors and workers.

What role does Itzhak Stern play in Schindler's business?

Itzhak Stern is an accountant who becomes Schindler's right-hand man, helping him manage the factory and ensuring that as many Jews as possible are employed there to save them from the Nazis.

Why does Schindler choose to hire Jews for his factory instead of Poles?

Schindler hires Jews because they are less expensive to employ and can be declared 'essential' workers, which protects them from being deported to concentration camps.

How does Schindler's perspective on his role in the war change throughout the film?

Initially profit-driven, Schindler's perspective shifts as he witnesses the atrocities of the Holocaust, leading him to actively work to save as many Jews as possible.

What is the significance of the red coat in the film?

The red coat worn by a young girl amidst the black-and-white scenes symbolizes the innocence and vulnerability of the victims amidst the horrors of the Holocaust.

Who is Amon Goeth and what is his role in the story?

Amon Goeth is a sadistic Nazi officer who oversees the construction and operation of the Plaszów concentration camp, where he orders and participates in the execution of Jews.

What is the significance of the 'Schindler's List' and how does it affect the fate of the listed Jews?

The 'Schindler's List' is a document created by Schindler and Stern that lists the names of over 1,100 Jews who are saved from extermination by being employed in Schindler's factory.

How does Schindler sabotage his own factory to protect his workers?

Schindler intentionally produces low-quality goods to ensure that his factory's output fails quality control, thus preventing the workers from being sent to the front lines or other dangerous assignments.

What is the outcome for Schindler and his workers at the end of the war?

At the end of the war, Schindler is forced to flee due to his Nazi affiliations, but not before ensuring the safety of his workers. He is later recognized as a righteous person by the Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

What is the final act of gratitude from the Schindler Jews towards Oskar Schindler?

The Schindler Jews present Schindler with a ring made from a worker's gold teeth, inscribed with the Talmudic phrase 'Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world,' as a token of their gratitude.

Outlines

00:00

🎬 Introduction to Schindler's List

The video introduces the audience to the historical war-drama film 'Schindler's List,' based on a true story. It sets the stage with the German Army's defeat of the Polish Army in 1939, leading to the establishment of Krakow as a hub for displaced Jews. Oskar Schindler, a German businessman and Nazi Party member, is portrayed as he strategically builds connections with Nazi officers and exploits the situation to start an enamelware factory with Jewish investors, using his influence to secure army contracts and maximize profits by employing Jews as cheap labor.

05:00

🏭 Schindler's Factory and the Struggle for Survival

As the narrative unfolds, Schindler's factory becomes a sanctuary for Jews, who are declared 'essential' to avoid deportation to concentration camps. Itzhak Stern, Schindler's accountant, plays a crucial role in falsifying documents to save as many Jews as possible. Schindler's initial profit-driven motives gradually transform as he witnesses the atrocities of the Holocaust. He begins to actively save Jews, using his resources and influence to bribe Nazi officers and secure their safety. The video also highlights the contrast between Schindler's humanitarian efforts and the brutal reality of the Plaszów concentration camp overseen by the sadistic Amon Goeth.

10:03

🕍 The Transformation of Schindler and the Liberation

The video concludes with Schindler's deepening commitment to saving Jews, culminating in his famous list that ultimately saves 1,100 lives. Despite the risks, Schindler bribes Nazi officials to transport his workers to a safer location in Moravia. The film poignantly captures the emotional farewell between Schindler and the 'Schindler Jews,' who honor him with a ring inscribed with a Talmudic phrase. The video ends with the real-life Schindler Jews paying tribute to their savior, transitioning from the harrowing black-and-white narrative to a color sequence that symbolizes hope and remembrance.

Keywords

💡Holocaust

The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during World War II. In the video, the Holocaust serves as the historical backdrop, illustrating the mass deportation and brutal treatment of Polish Jews, including their confinement in the Krakow Ghetto and the subsequent establishment of concentration camps.

💡Oskar Schindler

Oskar Schindler was 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. In the video, Schindler is portrayed as a complex character who initially seeks profit but eventually risks his life and wealth to save Jews, exemplified by his creation of a list to protect them from extermination.

💡Judenrat

The Judenrat was a council established by the Nazis in each Jewish community to enforce their orders and regulations. In the video, Schindler approaches the Krakow Judenrat to find an accountant, Itzhak Stern, who becomes instrumental in helping Schindler manage his factory and save Jewish lives.

💡Ghetto

A ghetto was a part of a city in which Jews were required to live, as mandated by the Nazis during the Holocaust. In the video, the establishment of the Krakow Ghetto signifies the forced segregation and containment of Jews, which Schindler later uses as a pool of cheap labor for his factory.

💡Amon Goeth

Amon Goeth was an SS officer who oversaw the Plaszow concentration camp and was notorious for his cruelty. In the video, Goeth is depicted as a sadistic commander who executes Jews on a whim, contrasting with Schindler's humanitarian actions.

💡Schindler's List

Schindler's List refers to the actual list of Jewish workers that Oskar Schindler compiled to save from extermination. In the video, the creation and expansion of this list are pivotal as it symbolizes the transformation of Schindler's motives from profit to the salvation of human lives.

💡Emilie Schindler

Emilie Schindler was Oskar Schindler's wife who, despite their estrangement, played a supportive role during the war. In the video, her brief appearance and departure from Krakow highlight the personal sacrifices and complexities within Schindler's life as he becomes more involved in saving Jews.

💡Righteous Among the Nations

The 'Righteous Among the Nations' is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews. In the video, Schindler's post-war recognition as 'Righteous Among the Nations' underscores his redemption and the lasting impact of his actions.

💡Enamalware factory

The enamelware factory is the business venture through which Schindler employs Jews, thus saving them from extermination. In the video, the factory serves as a critical setting where Schindler's initial profit motive evolves into a life-saving mission, as he hires Jews deemed 'essential' to avoid their deportation.

💡Plaszow concentration camp

Plaszow concentration camp was a Nazi concentration camp where many Jews were killed or suffered under harsh conditions. In the video, the camp's depiction illustrates the brutal reality of the Holocaust, against which Schindler's efforts to save Jews stand out as a beacon of humanity.

💡Schindlerjuden

Schindlerjuden, or 'Schindler Jews,' refers to the group of Jews saved by Oskar Schindler. In the video, this term is used to describe the individuals whose lives were spared due to Schindler's actions, highlighting the personal impact of his heroism.

Highlights

The film 'Schindler’s List' is a historical war-drama based on a true story.

The movie opens with the German Army's swift defeat of the Polish Army in 1939.

Jewish families are forced to register at Krakow, marking the beginning of their persecution.

Oskar Schindler, a German businessman, strategically builds relationships with Nazi officials.

Schindler acquires an enamelware factory with the help of Jewish investors.

He employs Jews in his factory, deeming them 'essential' to avoid their deportation.

Itzhak Stern, Schindler's accountant, plays a crucial role in falsifying documents to save lives.

The establishment of the Krakow Ghetto intensifies the plight of the Jewish community.

Schindler's factory becomes a sanctuary for Jews, protecting them from the horrors of the concentration camps.

Amon Goeth, a sadistic Nazi officer, oversees the brutal Plaszów work camp.

Schindler witnesses the massacres from a distance, which deeply affects him.

Schindler's influence is shown when he saves Stern from being sent to a concentration camp.

The film depicts Schindler's transformation from a profiteer to a savior of Jews.

Schindler's List illustrates the power of one person's actions in the face of immense evil.

Transcripts

Recap in Minutes. In today’s video, we will  be enjoying a multi-awarded Historical,  

war-drama film, based on a true  story entitled “Schindler’s list”.  

There will be spoilers ahead; chill out and enjoy. The movie begins when the German Army defeats the  

Polish Army in three weeks in late 1939; the  transfer of Polish Jews from surrounding areas  

to Krakow begins. A lone Jewish family registers  as Jews at a table set up on a train platform.  

From a single-family follows a vast crowd,  and with tens of thousands of Jews arriving  

on a daily basis, the single table becomes  several tables. The listers make sure that  

each individual is listed and accounted for. One evening, A German Nazi Party member and  

businessman from Czechoslovakia named, Oskar  Schindler, enters a club and observes the  

Wehrmacht and SS officers. When a high official  comes in, Oskar gets generous by buying them  

drinks. By the end of the night, each Nazi soldier  at the club knows his name and is at his table,  

drinking their hearts out. The Nazis have taken control,  

and the local Jews have been subdued. Oskar then  goes to Kraków’s Judenrat, a Jewish body tasked  

with carrying out Nazi directives and, for the  many of the populace, a useless complaint center.  

Oskar goes straight to the front of a seemingly  endless line of Jews, where he finds an accountant  

named, Itzhak Stern. Oskar informs Stern in  private that he requires “Jewish” investors  

to help him purchase an enamelware factory.  Oskar has connections to acquire army contracts  

that could provide the business but doesn’t  have the necessary funds to buy the factory. 

By law, Jews are prohibited from owning  businesses. Oskar informs Stern that he  

would compensate the investors in products  rather than cash. Schindler, a profiteer,  

understands that avoiding paying the Jewish  investors in cash will maximize his profit.  

Oskar also offers Stern to head and run the  company. Still, Stern initially rejects the offer,  

informing Oskar that Jews are unlikely to invest. It’s either go big or go home. Schindler has set  

his goal and refuses to give up. He then proceeds  to a church where Jewish smugglers meet in secret  

to do business. After joining in the conversation,  all of the smugglers are scared away except a  

smuggler named, Poldek. Schindler informs Poldek  that he will require many luxury products in the  

following months, which Poldek promises to obtain. In March of 1941, every Jew was uprooted from  

their home and was mandated to crowd in a sixteen  square block walled residence called the Ghetto.  

Meanwhile, Oskar arrives in his new apartment that  he technically took over from a displaced Jew. 

Soon, Oskar meets up with the Jewish investors  to negotiate the terms on how both parties would  

profit. Oskar points out that the concept  of money would be useless in the Ghetto.  

Barter or the exchange of goods will be the  norm inside the walled residence. The investors  

wanted a percentage in the company, but that  wasn’t an option for the German businessman.  

Eventually, Oskar gets money from Jewish  investors, who agree to accept Oskar’s terms. 

With Stern’s support and after securing war  contracts, Oskar establishes his factory and  

hires Jews rather than Poles because they are less  expensive to employ. All workers at the factory  

will be declared “essential,” which means that  they wouldn’t be deported to concentration camps.  

Stern understands this right away and quickly  fills the factory with many Jewish workers who  

would otherwise be considered expendable  by the Nazis. When the factory opened,  

Stern falsified documents to guarantee that as  many Jews as possible were employed by Schindler.  

Many of those hired are not skilled in metal  works, but nonetheless, Stern makes sure they are  

trained and does not affect production. In many  instances, intellectuals are sent to concentration  

camps as they’re deemed non-essentials  and useless for the Nazi war efforts. 

Later, Emilie, who Oskar introduces to his  butler as his wife, arrives in the city to  

join his estranged husband. But after a few  days together, it wasn’t working for Oskar,  

so Emilie departed back to Czechoslovakia. At this point, Oskar has no idea that Stern  

is utilizing and taking advantage of his factory  position to save people. When Stern brings a  

one-armed guy to meet Oskar and asks him to thank  him for saving him by making him “important,”  

Oskar dismisses the appreciation and somewhat  scolds his Jewish right-hand man. Later,  

the same one-armed man was set aside and shot  in the head while digging snow with the others. 

On a different occasion, Oskar runs over to the  train station and saves Stern from impending doom.  

But before that, Oskar had to threaten a young  officer to help him. Which goes to show that  

Oskar has a significant influence. Back at Stern.  Turns out the old Jew made the fatal mistake of  

forgetting his papers; hence, the misunderstanding  almost got him sent to the concentration camps. 

Meanwhile, the Plaszów work camp is being  built, and a sadistic Nazi officer named,  

Amon Goeth is assigned to oversee the construction  and running of the camp. When a female civil  

engineer runs over to Amon stating that they have  to restart the construction, the Herr Kommandant  

didn’t hesitate to order her executed on the spot. When Plaszów is finished, a brutal crackdown  

begins. Amon directs his men on the operation  and tolerates the massacres. While the carnage  

is ongoing, Schindler and his lover observe the  destruction from a perch high above the Ghetto.  

He notices a tiny girl going amid the devastation  in a red coat, the only color in the otherwise  

black-and-white scene. He sees a group of  Jew lined up and shooting using a rifle.  

The remaining survivors are shot in the head.  Schindler’s lover begs him to return home with  

tears in her eyes, and Schindler is clearly  impacted by what he witnessed. The eradication  

and massacres continue into the night. Even those  who managed to hide during the day were not safe. 

Back at the camps, the guards do a  count on the Jews and have them work.  

Amon observes the whole scenario from the scope  of his sniper rifle positioned on the balcony  

of his villa. Whenever the Herr Kommandant  sees a Jew lazing around, he snipes them out. 

With no one to work in the factory,  Oskar’s business is affected.  

Despite Oskar’s disgust for how a man could  easily take a life, he makes an effort to  

befriend Amon in order to secure the future of  his plant and the supply of workers. Later the  

two come to an agreement. Oskar bribes Amon, and  in return, Oskar is given permission to set up  

his own sub-camp and continue with production. Later, a lavish party is thrown. Due to Oskar’s  

generosity in giving the soldiers some piece of  whatever splendor like alcohol, food, or money.  

He earned the title Herr Director. Oskar continues  to meet with Stern and have the Jew do errands. 

In a surprise inspection, Amon tested a prisoner  on making door hinges. The Jew was very proficient  

in making one. Still, the Nazi officer noticed  that he had a small pile of hinges despite  

working long hours. Amon was about to execute  the Jew when his gun was jammed. He tried to  

shoot the Jew multiple times and even used a  different weapon but failed to kill the man.  

Like some sort of divine intervention occurred. Days later, Regina Perlman, a Jewish girl posing  

as a gentile, visits Oskar’s factory. She implores  the German to hire her parents, claiming that his  

factory is a safe haven. Oskar refuses to assist  Regina and dismisses her. After the incident,  

Oskar rants at Stern later, telling him that he is  not in the business of saving people. When Oskar  

is done, he hands Stern his gold watch and orders  him to bring the Perlmans over. From then on, he  

becomes actively involved in protecting Jews and  begins aggressively saving them. Oskar gradually  

offers Stern more of his personal belongings to  use as bribes to entice people to his workplace.  

He even helped a bunch of Jews by spraying them  with water while on a train bound for Auschwitz. 

On Oskar’s birthday, he kissed a Jewish girl  on the lips, which later got him into trouble  

with the Military police. Kissing a Jew was  in violation of the Race and Resettling act.  

Fortunately, Oskar has some good friends in  high places, which got him out with no trouble. 

Soon, Oskar receives word that Amon is  ordered to dismantle the concentration camp,  

exhume and burn the bodies of 10,000 Jews killed  there and at the Kraków ghetto, and send the  

remaining Jews to Auschwitz. At first, Oskar had  made more money that could last several lifetimes.  

He intends to leave Poland with his money.  However, Oskar can’t find himself leaving his  

workers in good conscience. And so, he thought  of a different idea. Oskar tries to persuade  

the Nazi commandant to allow him to buy back his  workers. The plan is for him to open a factory  

in his hometown in Moravia and continue the  production of artillery shells and tanks shells.  

The plan was beneficial for both parties,  especially the Jews, because it was far from  

Poland's brutality and mass extermination. The  commandant was hesitant because the paperwork  

alone would be torture. Still, he eventually  agrees after Oskar offers to pay for each head. 

Soon after, Stern starts to type in the names of  the workers that Oskar wants to take along. The  

list goes from 450 to 600 to 850. Oskar was trying  to save as many souls as he could. By the end of  

deliberating, they had a thousand and a hundred  people, and it cost Oskar more than millions of  

Reichsmark, the currency used in Nazi Germany. Soon, the people on the list are transported to  

Czechoslovakia on two separate trains. The men  on one train and the women on the other. Moments  

later, the train for the men arrives first.  Oskar welcomes his workers with open arms. Away  

from the brutal and prying eyes of the fascist,  Oskar offers the men hot soup. But due to some  

mistakes with the paperwork, the women's train was  accidentally directed to Auschwitz. The women’s  

heads are shaved, and they are sent to an enclosed  chamber. They all scream in terror, fearing it to  

be a gas chamber as the doors close. However, they  are relieved to find that it is simply a shower  

room. After receiving word of this, Oskar rushes  into action to make sure the women are returned  

safely to Moravia. Oskar uses his connections to  secure a negotiation with the person in charge.  

Afterward, Oskar was forced to repurchase his  workers and bribe the Nazi officer with diamonds. 

The women’s heads are shaved, and they  are sent to an enclosed chamber. Fearing  

it to be a gas chamber, they all scream in  terror as the doors close. However, they are  

relieved to find that it is simply a shower room. Following the return of the women, Oskar strictly  

orders the guards from visiting the workshop  without permission and bans summary executions.  

As a change, Oskar also encourages the Jews  to keep the day of the Sabbath. He spends  

the next seven months bribing Nazi officials and  purchasing bullet casings from other enterprises  

just to keep the factory running. But Oskar’s  production couldn’t pass any quality control.  

During this time, no bomb, artillery shell, or  firearms are usable as a result. It was part  

of Oskar’s tactics to sabotage the production,  knowing full well that the Third Reich was losing. 

As soon as Germany surrendered and ended the war  in 1945, Oskar ran out of money. But nonetheless,  

Oskar takes the opportunity to announce  to his workers that they are now free.  

But he needed to depart before midnight  because despite being good with the Jews,  

in the eyes of the Allies and Soviets, he  was a member of the Nazi party, a munitions  

manufacturer, and a profiteer of slave labor. In  short, the others will see him as a war criminal. 

When he says his goodbyes to his Schindlerjuden  or “Schindler Jews,” they present him with a ring  

crafted from a factory worker’s gold teeth, etched  with the Talmudic phrase, “Whoever saves one life  

saves the entire world.” Oskar couldn’t help but  cry, wishing he could have given more, and saved  

more lives. Stern comforted the sobbing German  that he had done enough to save 1,100 souls. 

A lone Russian soldier enters the camp the  following day and informs the Jews that they  

are now free. It’s revealed that Amon Goeth was  arrested and hanged at Krakow for his crimes  

against humanity. Meanwhile, Oskar failed at his  marriage and several businesses after the war.  

On the Brightside, Oskar was declared  a righteous person by the council of  

the Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. The scene then dissolves into  

full color as they move toward a nearby  town, revealing a group of the real  

Holocaust survivors walking across a field. The movie ends with the real Schindler Jews  

putting rocks on Oskar’s grave in respect  and in honor of their benefactor and savior.  

Walking alongside the actors are  the real-life Schindler Jews. 

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