Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 20, 1994 TAG: 9401220019
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
But one thing is clear: He was not the typical hero. A fervent womanizer, Schindler was a member of the Nazi Party, gambled, drank and raced motorcycles. Raised a Roman Catholic, he was not religious.
In 1939, when Germany overran Poland, Schindler came to Krakow intent on making his fortune; by paying off the Nazis, he succeeded. He took over a confiscated enamelware factory and turned out canteens and mess kits for the army. His work force was Jewish slave labor - requiring no salary.
When Schindler moved his factory to the Czechoslovakia border, he had a heroic change of heart, arranging with the Germans to save more than 1,200 Jews from annihilation. He requested them as ``needed'' workers and used up most of his fortune to buy their passage. After the war, he went to Argentina where he abandoned his wife and lost the rest of his money.
In the final years of his life, he was supported by the Schindlerjuden (Schindler Jews), who began a fund to help him. Today, there are 6,000 descendants of the Jews who were on the list.
In 1961, a tree was planted in Schindler's honor on Jerusalem's Avenue of the Righteous, dedicated to Gentiles who helped Jews during the Nazi reign.
Thirteen years later, Schindler died in Frankfurt at 66. The cause was hardening of the arteries from prolonged drinking. Hero or opportunist? ``Schindler's List'' supports the former but doesn't attempt to explain his sudden transformation.
by CNB