PENGUIN READERS Schindler’s List Thomas KeneallySchindler’s List THOMAS KENEALLY Level 6 Retold by Nancy Taylor Series Editors: Andy Hopkins and Jocelyn PotterPearson Education Limited Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex CM20 JE, England and Associated Companies throughout the world. ISBN: 978-1-4058-8272-9 First published in Great Britain by Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 1982 First published by Penguin Books Ltd 2003 This edition first published 2008 5791086 inal copyright © Serpentine Publishing Co Pry Led 1982 ‘Text copyright © Pearson Education Ltd 2008 All rights reserved The moral rights of the authors have been asserted Map on page viii by David Cuzik (Pennant) ‘Typeset by Graphicraft Ltd, Hong Kong Set in 11/14pt Bembo Printed in China SWTC/05 All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or othenvise, without the prior written permission of the Publishers. Published by Pearson Education Ltd in association with Penguin Books Ltd, both companies being subsidiaries of Pearson Ple For a complete list of the titles available in the Penguin Readers series please write to your local Pearson Longman office or to: Penguin Readers Marketing Department, Pearson Education, Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex CM20 2JE, England.Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Activities Contents A Happy Child with a Bright Future ‘War Brings Troubles and Opportunities Adjusting to a World at War Mercy Is Forgotten Krakow’s Jews Are Not Alone Amon Goeth Closes Krakow’s Ghetto Schindler’s Double Life Saint Oskar? Schindler’s List The Long Road to Safety To Hell and Back Life in the Kingdom of Oskar Schindler The Gates Are Opened The Final Years page mo< wo 12; 31 36 43 49 54 63 70 91 199: 102Introduction Towards the end of their conversation Oskar said, ‘In times like these, it must be difficult for a priest to tell people that their Father in Heaven cares about the death of every little bird. I'd hate to be a priest today when a human life doesn’t have the value of a packet of cigarettes.’ "You are right, Herr Schindler, said Stern. ‘The story you are referring 10 fiom the Bible can be summarized by a line fiom the Talmud which says that he who saves the life of one man, saves the entire world’ As a happy child growing up in a middle-class German family between the wars, Oskar Schindler would never have imagined that this line from the Talmud would guide him through the darkest days of the Second World War. He was not an intellectual man and did not have the patience to sit quietly and analyze situations. In fact, he was an ordinary businessman with ambitions to make a lot of money. After the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, Schindler saw his opportunity and started an enamelware company in the city of Krakow. He employed Jewish workers because they were cheaper than Polish workers. But gradually, as he observed how the SS treated the Jews, he understood that making money was less important than saving innocent lives. Putting his life at risk every day, he used his impressive charm and energy to fight his own war against the Nazi system and to save the lives of as many Jews as possible. Schindler's List is an accurate, frightening history of what happened to real people in German-occupied territories between 1939 and 1945. It is, however, also a story of hope: a true story of how goodness can grow even in the most unlikely circumstances and become a positive example of heroism and courage for us all.The story of Schindler's List is set mainly in Krakow, where the Nazis created one of five big Jewish ghettos during their occupation of Poland. Jewish people were divided into two groups: ‘able workers’ who could be usefully employed to help the Germans in their war efforts, and those who would be killed immediately in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, Belzec and other concentration camps. The story follows the history of the Jewish ghetto, from its creation in March 1941 until the final ‘removal’ of the Jews two years later. Over a two-day period in March 1943, under the command of Commandant Amon Goeth, 8,000 Jews were transferred to the labour camp at Plasz6w, and 2,000 more Jews were killed in the streets of the ghetto. The rest were sent to die in Auschwitz. Thomas Keneally was born in New South Wales, Australia, in 1935. After training to be a priest, then working as a schoolteacher and university lecturer, he became a writer. Many of his novels use historical material, but are modern in their psychology and style. The book first titled Schindler's Ark (1982) is his most famous novel and was the result of a meeting with Poldek Pfefferberg, a survivor of the Krakow ghetto and Plasz6w labour camp. Keneally had visited Pfefferberg’s shop two years earlier, in 1980. When Pfefferberg learnt that Keneally was a writer, he showed him his collection of files on the life of Oskar Schindler. Schindler's Ark won the most important literary prize in Britain, the Booker Prize, and is the basis of Steven Spielberg’s film, Schindler’s List. As a result of the film’s worldwide success, Keneally’s book is now published under the same title. Since his first book, The Place at Whitton (1964), Keneally has written nearly thirty novels, including The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1972), which was also made into a successful film. In addition to his novels, Keneally has written several works of non-fiction and four plays. viSteven Spielberg became internationally famous as a director of adventure and science-fiction films, from Jaws (1975) to War of the Worlds (2005). While he has always enjoyed making exciting adventure and science-fiction films, however, there is a more serious side to Spielberg. He has made films about the struggles of black people in the southern states of the United States (The Colour Purple, 1985), the slave trade (Amistad, 1997) ordinary people at war (Empire of the Sun, 1987, Saving Private Ryan, 1998) and international terrorism (Munich, 2005). Before he made any of these films, however, Spielberg had read a New York Times’ review of Thomas Keneally’s book, Schindler's Ark. As a Jew himself, Spielberg was immediately interested in this amazing but true story of a Nazi who had saved Jews during the Second World War, and he persuaded Universal Studios to buy the book. When Poldek Pfefferberg met Spielberg in 1983, he asked him, ‘Please, when are you starting?’ Spielberg replied, ‘Ten years from now: He was unsure about his own emotional ability to make a film on such a sensitive but important subject and even offered it to another film director, Roman Polanski. But the project was too difficult for Polanski; he had spent some of his early childhood in the Krakow ghetto and his mother had been gassed at Auschwitz. Eventually, Spielberg felt ready to direct the film himself, with Liam Neeson taking the part of Schindler, Ben Kingsley as Itzhak Stern and Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth. When it was released in 1993, it was an immediate international success and won seven Oscars. More importantly, it brought both Schindler's story and the truth about the tragic suffering of Jews during the Second World War to a new mass audience, helping to fix that dark period of recent history in people’s memories. viiDyNabts oazad @ ZI mR, © 1 Mowat = <0 es) Naso-ssoub Ss SRG ~ AONWWYSaD Nite ¢ LSM GYSNANILOS Ni SIDV1d LFChapter 1 A Happy Child with a Bright Future Oskar Schindler is the hero of this story, but nothing in his early life suggested that he would become a great, even a noble man. Oskar was born on 28 April 1908 in the industrial town of Zwittau (now Suitava), where his family had lived since the beginning of the sixteenth century. In Oskar’s childhood, this region was known as Sudetenland and was part of the Austrian Empire, ruled by Franz Josef. After the First World War it became part of Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic. Oskar’s parents were great supporters of Franz Josef and proud to be Sudeten ‘Germans’. They spoke German at home and at their jobs, and their children went to German-speaking schools. Few people in this quiet corner of Czechoslovakia objected to the way of life that the Schindlers and other Sudeten Germans had chosen for themselves. Zwittau was a small industrial city, surrounded by hills and forests. Oskar’s father, Hans Schindler, owned a factory which made farm machinery and employed about forty-five people. Oskar studied engineering in secondary school with the idea that one day he would run the factory for his father. Herr* Schindler was a big, sociable man. He enjoyed fine wine and good tobacco and liked to spend his evenings in coffee houses, where the conversation was clever and amusing. He was the kind of man who could drive a wife to religion, and Frau Louisa Schindler practised her Roman Catholic faith with energy and sincerity. It worried her that her son stayed away from church as much as his father did. *Herr, Frau: German for Mr and Mrs. Unlike the English titles, they can be used with other titles, such as Herr Direktor or Herr Kommandant.In later years Oskar and his sister, Elfriede, remembered a childhood filled with sunshine. They lived in a modern house with a big garden and enjoyed being the children of a successful businessman. Oskar had an early passion for cars and began building his own motorbike as a teenager. Some of the students at Oskar’s German secondary school were from middle-class Jewish families and had fathers who were also successful businessmen. In fact, a liberal Jewish rabbi and his family lived next door to the Schindlers. Rabbi Kantor was a modern, intellectual man, proud to be both a German and a Jew, and always ready to enjoy a friendly debate about religion or politics with Herr Schindler. His sons went to school with Oskar and Elfriede, and the four children ran and played between the two gardens. The Kantor boys were bright students, perhaps intelligent enough to become lecturers at the German University of Prague one day. But this dream changed in the mid-thirties. Rabbi Kantor had to admit that the Nazi Party* would never permit a Jew to teach at a university or to succeed as a scientist or businessman. There was certainly no type of rabbi that was acceptable to this new government either. In 1936 the Kantor family moved to Belgium, and the Schindlers never heard of them again. History and politics meant little to Oskar as a teenager. His enthusiasm was centred around fast motorbikes, and his father encouraged this interest. In Oskar’s last year at school, Hans Schindler bought his son an Italian motorbike. Then in the middle of 1928, at the beginning of Oskar’s sweetest and most innocent summer, he appeared in the town square on a Moto-Guzzi, an amazing motorbike usually owned only by professional racers. *Nazi Party: National Socialist German Workers’ Party. A German political party from 1919, it dominated Germany from 1933 to 1945 under its leader, Adolf Hitler. One of the Nazis’ goals was to rid German territories of all Jews.For three months Oskar forgot about his studies and his future and entered professional motorbike races. He did very well and loved every exciting minute of this life. In his final race, in the hills on the German border, Oskar was competing against the best riders in Europe. He kept close to the leaders throughout the race and just failed to win. Even though people said he could become a champion racer, Oskar decided to end his motorbike career after that thrilling afternoon. The reason may have been economic because, by hurrying into marriage with a farmer’s daughter that summer, Oskar lost the approval of his father, who was also his employer. The elder Schindler could see that Oskar was similar to him, and he worried that his son was marrying a girl like his own mother: a girl who was quiet, graceful and religious, but not very suitable for the sociable, charming and handsome Oskar. The bride’s father, a wealthy widower, was as unhappy about the marriage as Hans Schindler was. He was a gentleman-farmer who had expected Emilie, his daughter, to do better than to marry a boy on a motorbike with no money of his own. The bride, according to the custom of the time, agreed to bring a large sum of money into the marriage. Most of this money was never paid, however, because Emilie’s father did not believe that Oskar would settle down and be a good husband to his only child. Emilie, on the other hand, was delighted to leave her small village and her father’s old-fashioned household, where she had to act as hostess to him and his boring friends. She was enthusiastic about moving into an apartment in Zwittau with her tall, handsome young husband. However, Emilie’s dream of a happy marriage did not last long. Oskar followed his father’s example and forgot about his wife in the evenings, staying in cafés like a single man, talking to girls who were neither religious nor quiet. Hans Schindler’s business went bankrupt in 1935, and soon afterwards he left his wife and found an apartment on his own.Oskar hated his father for abandoning his mother and refused to speak to him. The son seemed blind to the fact that his treatment of Emilie was already following the same pattern. Meanwhile, even though the world’s economy was suffering, Oskar managed to get a good job. He had good business contacts, he had a background in engineering and he was good company. These qualities made him the perfect man to become the sales manager of Moravian Electrotechnic. He began travelling a lot, which reminded him of his time as a motorbike racer, and which gave him an excuse to stay away from his responsibilities in Zwittau. By the time of his mother’s funeral in the late 1930s, Oskar, like many young Czech Germans, was wearing a swastika, the badge of the Nazi Party, on the collar of his suit. He was still not interested in politics, but Oskar was a salesman. When he went into the office of a German company manager wearing the swastika, he got the orders that he wanted. Oskar was a busy, successful salesman, but he could feel something even more exciting than money in the air. In 1938, in the month before the German army entered Sudetenland and made it part of the Third Reich,* Oskar sensed that history was being made, and he wanted to be part of the action. But, just as quickly as he had become disappointed in marriage, Oskar became disappointed with the Nazi Party. When German soldiers captured Sudetenland, Oskar was shocked by their rough treatment of the Czech population and the seizing of property. By March of 1939 he had quietly turned away from the Party. Oskar was not ready to reject Hitler’s grand plans completely at this time. In 1939 it was still not clear what kind of men would lead Germany forward. One evening that autumn at a party near *Third Reich: Germany during the period of Nazi rule from 1933 to 1945the Polish border, the hostess, a client and friend, introduced Oskar to a sociable, clever German named Eberhard Gebauer. The two men talked about business and the political situation in Europe. After several glasses of wine Gebauer explained that he worked for German military intelligence and asked Oskar if he could help them in Poland. With his charm and contacts, Oskar would be a useful agent for collecting military and industrial information for the German government. Oskar agreed to the proposal for two reasons. First, it meant that he would not have to serve in the army, and second, he almost certainly approved of Germany’s plan to seize Poland. He believed in Hitler’s goals as he understood them at that time, but he still hoped that there would be civilized ways to achieve them. He hoped that decent men like Gebauer, not men like Himmler* and the SS,* would guide Germany. Oskar was praised in the following months for his useful and thorough reports. He was good at persuading people to talk to him over a fine dinner with an expensive bottle of wine or two. As he did this work and continued as a salesman, Oskar also discovered that Krakow, the ancient centre of cultural life in Poland, offered many possibilities to an ambitious young businessman. Chapter 2 War Brings Troubles and Opportunities Germany invaded Poland from the west on 1 September 1939. The USSR invaded Poland from the east on 17 September. The Second World War had begun. *Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945): German Nazi leader who directed the SS and Gestapo forces and ran the concentration camps in the Second World War SS: the special military and security unit of the Nazi PartyBy the seventh week of German rule, the inhabitants of Krakow were struggling to make sense of the orders that arrived daily from the authorities in Berlin. Poles had to exist on the rations allowed to them; they had to do whatever jobs they were given. But the Jews of Poland, who represented one in every eleven of the population, began to realize that their situation was particularly dangerous. Already they had to declare their Jewish origins and carry Jewish identity cards. As sub-humans, as the Germans insultingly called them, they received only half of the official rations given to non-Jewish Poles. The German administration insisted that all Jews must register with the appropriate government office by 24 November of that year. In this environment, it was obviously wise for a Jew to be careful of what he said and did. One Polish Jew who understood what was happening better than most people in Krakow was Itzhak Stern, chief accountant at J C Buchheister and Company and an expert on Jewish law and religious texts. One day in October his new German bosses called him into the director's office as usual. They understood very little about the factory they were now running and relied on Stern to guide them. The thin, intellectual Jew entered the big office and was introduced to Oskar Schindler and Ingrid, a beautiful young Sudeten German who had recently become the manager of a Jewish tool factory. They were an elegant, stylish couple, full of confidence and clearly in love with one another. They would go far under this new system. ‘Herr Schindler, the German director said, ‘this is Itzhak Stern. He understands this factory and can also help you with information about other local industries.’ According to the rules of the day, Stern said, ‘I have to tell you, sir, that Iam a Jew? “Well, Schindler confessed with a smile, ‘I’m a German. So let’s talk business.’It’s easy for you to be friendly, thought the accountant, but I must still live by your rules. Nevertheless, Stern understood history and trusted that, even though conditions would probably get worse, the Jews would survive in Poland. As a race, they had learnt how to deal with foreign rulers over many centuries. And anyway, young businessmen like Oskar Schindler still needed people with experience, whether they were Jews or not. When Stern was alone with Oskar and Ingrid, Oskar began the conversation. ‘I would be grateful if you could tell me about some of the local businesses’ ‘With respect, Herr Schindler} said Stern, ‘perhaps you should speak to the German officials who are now in charge of business in Krakow? Schindler laughed and said, “They're thieves and rule-makers. I don’t like having to follow a lot of rules.” So Stern and the young industrialist began to talk. Stern had friends or relatives in every factory in Krakow and understood how the economy worked. Schindler was impressed and finally asked the question he had come to ask: “What do you know about a company called Rekord?’ ‘It went bankrupt before the Germans arrived. It made enamelware, but was badly managed, Stern reported. ‘I have the financial statements for the company’s last five years in business. Can you give me your opinion of them?’ asked Schindler as one businessman to another. Stern looked carefully at this friendly German. Like many Jews, he had the gift of knowing in his bones who was a good non-Jew. He began to sense that it might be important to be connected with Oskar Schindler; he might be able to offer a kind of safety. ‘It’s a good business, Stern continued. ‘And, with the kind of machinery it has, there’s the possibility of military contracts.’ ‘Exactly, Schindler replied. ‘The German government is looking for Polish factories that can produce army equipment:pots, dishes and spoons for the soldiers. With my background, I understand the kind of company we're talking about’ Stern sensed that he could be honest with the young German. ‘I can help you with the legal work. You should rent the property with the option to buy’ Then, more quietly, he added, ‘There will be rules about who you can employ? Schindler laughed. ‘How do you know so much about the authoritics’ intentions?” “We are still permitted to read German newspapers, said Stern. Actually, he had read documents from the German government that he had seen on the desks of his new bosses. He knew that one of the aims of the Third Reich was to get rid of all Jewish owners, then all Jewish bosses and, finally, all Jewish workers. As the two men left the office, Schindler became philosophical and began talking about the fact that Christianity had its roots in Judaism. Maybe he was reminded of his boyhood friends, the Kantor brothers. Stern had written articles about religion in serious journals and quickly realized that Oskar’s knowledge of religion and philosophy was not very deep, but that his feelings were sincere. A friendship began to form between the two men. Towards the end of their conversation Oskar said, ‘In times like these, it must be difficult for a priest to tell people that their Father in Heaven cares about the death of every little bird. I'd hate to be a pricst today when a human life doesn’t have the value of a packet of cigarettes.’ “You are right, Herr Schindler; said Stern. ‘The story you are referring to from the Bible can be summarized by a line from the Talmud* which says that he who saves the life of one man, saves the entire world’ “Of course, of course; answered the German. *Talmud: the most important book of holy writings for JewsRightly or wrongly, Itzhak Stern always believed that these words from the Talmud guided Oskar Schindler throughout the next five years. aa Schindler met Itzhak Stern by accident because he kept his eyes and ears open for people who might be useful to him. He met another Krakow Jew, Leopold Pfefferberg, by chance too. Like other important Germans in the Polish city in 1939, Oskar had been given a fine apartment by the German housing authorities. It had previously been owned by a Jewish family by the name of Nussbaum who the authorities had ordered to move out without paying them for the apartment or its furniture. Years later, several of Oskar’s friends from the war claimed that he searched Krakow for the Nussbaum family in 1939 and gave them enough money to escape to Yugoslavia. This kind of generous behaviour was typical of Schindler. In fact, some people said that being generous became a disease in him — a disease because he was always in danger of dying from it. Back in 1939 Oskar liked his big new apartment very much, but he wanted to decorate it in a more modern style. He heard that Mrs Mina Pfefferberg was the best interior decorator in Krakow, so he went to see her. Mrs Pfefferberg and her husband were still living in their own apartment, but they feared a visit from the Gestapo,* announcing that the Pfefferberg home now belonged to a German army officer or businessman. (In fact, their apartment was taken from them by the Gestapo before the end of 1939.) When Mrs Pfefferberg heard a knock one morning in October, looked through a crack and saw a tall, well-dressed German with a *Gestapo: the Nazi secret police; the SS and the Gestapo controlled the concentration camps.swastika pinned to his suit, she thought that day had arrived. She looked at her 27-year-old son, Leopold, with alarm in her eyes. ‘Mother, don’t worry. The man is not wearing a Gestapo uniform. He’s probably looking for me, said Leopold calmly. He had been an officer in the Polish army until their defeat in September and, after he had been captured, managed to avoid being sent to Germany. Perhaps the Germans had found him now. Recently he had been surviving by buying and selling on the black market because he had not been allowed to return to his real job as a physical education teacher. In fact Jewish schools were closed soon after this time. “Answer the door, Mother; whispered Leopold. ‘I'll hide in the kitchen and hear what he wants. If he makes trouble for you, I’ve got my gun. Mrs Pfefterberg nervously opened the door. ‘You're Mrs Pfefferberg?? the German asked. ‘You were recommended to me by Herr Nussbaum. I have just taken over an apartment near here and would like to have it redecorated. Mrs Pfefferberg could not manage a reply, even though the German was speaking politely. Leopold stepped into the room and spoke for her. ‘Please, come in, sir’ ‘Thank you. I am Oskar Schindler. My wife will be coming here from Czechoslovakia, he explained, ‘and Id like to have my new apartment ready for her? With her strong, healthy son beside her, Mrs Pfefferberg relaxed and began to talk to Schindler as a client, discussing fabrics and colours and costs. After it was settled that Mrs Pfefferberg would do the work, Oskar turned to Leopold and said, ‘Could you visit me at my apartment one day and discuss other business matters? Maybe you can tell me how to get local products when the shops are empty. For example, where would a man find such an elegant blue shirt as yours?” 10Leopold knew that this man wanted more than a good blue shirt; his business sense told him that he could make some profitable deals with this customer. He answered, ‘Herr Schindler, these shirts are hard to find and they're extremely expensive. But give me your size and I'll see what I can do’ Oskar expected to be charged a very high price for the shirts, but he was sure that this Jew would be useful to him. In fact, Leopold became one of Oskar’s most reliable sources of black market luxuries, and, as the years passed, those luxuries kept Oskar in business time after time. ¢ By December of 1939 it had become clear that the Germans would not be leaving Krakow very soon, but Oskar, and even many Polish Jews, continued to hope that the situation would be better in the spring. After all, the Jews told themselves, Germany is a civilized nation. Through his contacts in the German police and military, Oskar heard troubling rumours. He learnt that the SS would carry out their first Aktion* in a Jewish suburb of Krakow on 4 December. He went to the Buchheister offices and dropped hints for Stern, but this was the first Aktion and few believed it would happen. The SS plan was to carry the war against the Jews from door to door. They broke into apartments and emptied desks and wardrobes; they took rings off fingers and watches out of pockets. A girl who would not give up her fur coat had her arm broken. A boy who wanted to keep his skis was shot. There were worse events occurring in other parts of the city, being carried out by a group of German soldiers with special duties, known as the Einsatz Group. From the beginning of the *Altion: a military operation against private citizens by the SS 11war, they had understood that Hitler’s plan meant the extinction of the Jewish race, and they were willing to take extreme steps to achieve this goal. While the SS were busy with their first Aktion in Krakow, Einsatz soldiers entered a fourteenth-century synagogue in another Jewish neighbourhood, where traditional Jews were at prayer. Their companions went from apartment to apartment and drove the less religious Jews into the synagogue too. The Einsatz leader ordered each Jew to spit on the holy Jewish texts at the front of the hall or be shot. One man, described by people in the neighbourhood as a gangster with no interest in religion, refused to spit on the book. ‘I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life? the crook said, ‘but I won't do that’ The Einsatz men shot him first. Then they shot the rest of the Jews and set fire to the place, destroying the oldest of all Polish synagogues. But higher up the ladder of Nazi authority, men were discussing the weakness of a plan that required German soldiers to kill Jews one at a time, or even in small groups. They were looking for a faster, more efficient method of solving the Jewish ‘problem’ in Europe. Scientists eventually found a technological solution: a chemical named Zyklon B that could be used to kill hundreds of Jews at a time in secret sites throughout the German empire. Chapter 3 Adjusting to a World at War Oskar Schindler continued to consult with Itzhak Stern throughout 1939. Soon his plans were in place to open Deutsche Email Fabrik, or DEE in the buildings of the former Rekord Company in the suburb of Zablocie. The factory would produce enamelware for the kitchens of Poland and for the German army. Oskar had the site, the experience and the right contacts in the 12German administration, but he needed cash. Stern introduced him to Abraham Bankier, a Jew and former office manager at Rekord. On 23 November 1939, all Jewish money and accounts in Polish banks had been frozen by the Germans. Jews could not touch any of their cash, but some of the rich Jewish businessmen had already put their money elsewhere, often in diamonds, gold or pieces of art. Bankier met with a group of these men, and they agreed to invest money in Oskar’s factory in exchange for a certain quantity of enamelware over the next year. They knew that manufactured goods would be more useful to them than cash. The men left their meeting with Bankier without a written contract. Such contracts were not considered legal documents in those days, but in the end the Jews found that they had made a good deal. Schindler was honest and generous; the Jews who put money into DEF received everything they were promised. When DEF opened, Oskar employed forty-five workers and made only enamelware. At the beginning of 1940, to no one’s surprise, the factory began to receive contracts from the army. Oskar had worked hard to make friends with men who had influence in government offices and in the army, entertaining them at the best restaurants and clubs and remembering birthdays and other special celebrations with wine, carpets, jewellery, furniture and baskets of luxury food. After asking for and receiving permission to expand his business, Oskar bought new machines and opened more of the old buildings, with one section producing pots and pans and another producing military equipment for the German army. By the summer of 1940, DEF had 250 employees of which 150 were Jews. Many of them had been introduced to Oskar by Stern, and DEF began to win a reputation as a safe place for Jews to work. The beautiful Victoria Klonowska was a Polish secretary in DEFP’s front office, and Oskar began a romantic relationship with her. Ingrid, his German girlfriend, lived with him in his new 13apartment. Emilie, his wife, continued to live in Zwittau. These three women obviously knew about each other, and about the other occasional girlfriends that Oskar was seen with around the city. Oskar never tried to make a secret of his love life, and because he did not lie to any of the three women, traditional lovers’ arguments never developed. Victoria Klonowska was blonde and very attractive and wore clothes that were different from those of the depressed, grey women on the streets of Krakow. For Christmas Oskar bought her a ridiculous little white dog which perfectly suited her fresh, fashion-magazine style. But Oskar appreciated her for more than just her beauty: she was also efficient, clever and persuasive. She knew how to talk to important people and how to keep them on Oskar’s side. She also knew Krakow well and could recommend people and places that met her boss’s needs. Oskar took Nazi leaders and other German officials to the old, traditional Hotel Krakovia, where they could eat heavy meals and drink expensive German wines while listening to old- fashioned music from Vienna. But he wanted a good night-club where he could take his real friends, and Victoria knew the perfect place. She recommended a jazz club which was popular with students and young lecturers from the university and which would not attract SS men or Nazi supporters. At the end of 1939 Oskar organized a Christmas party at the jazz club for a group of friends. These men were all Germans who were away from their homes, and they all had doubts about some of the goals of the Nazi administration. Oskar had done business with each of them, and he had enjoyed long sociable evenings in their company. Eberhard Gebauer from military intelligence, who had first sent Oskar to Poland, was among the party. Oskar’s work for Gebauer had continued, even including reports on the behaviour of the SS in Krakow. Gebauer invited the other guests to raise their glasses. 14‘I ask you to raise your glasses to our good friend, Oskar Schindler, and to the success of his enamelware factory. If DEF makes a lot of money, Herr Schindler will throw a lot more parties — and his are the best parties in the world!’ The men around the table shouted, “To Oskar!’ But after a fine meal and a few more speeches, the talk turned to the subject that none of them could forget: the Jews. “We spent the day at the railway station, trying to decide what to do with boxcar after boxcar full of Jews and Poles? complained Herman Toffel, a young German policeman. “We're at war, but the whole railway system is being used to send all the Jews from the German territories to us. How is the German army travelling? By bicycle?’ Soon everyone in Poland would get used to the sight of trains packed with human beings who had been pushed into the boxcars by lying SS men with the promise that their luggage would be waiting for them at the other end. But at Oskar’s 1939 Christmas party people were still surprised by this idea. ‘They call it “concentration”; said Toffel. ‘That’s the word in the official documents. I call it a waste of our time. What are we supposed to do with more Jews?’ ‘The men at the top say that they are going to get rid of all of the Jews in Krakow as soon as possible, said a military man. “They may allow five or six thousand Jewish workers with special skills to stay, but I don’t know what they’re going to do with the rest of them, not to mention all the new arrivals’ ‘Maybe the Judenrat* will find work for them, suggested Gebauer. ‘Their leader has given my office a plan for using Jewish labour. They are willing to carry coal, sweep streets, dig ditches — anything to make themselves useful. *Judenrat: a Jewish council set up in each Jewish community by order of the German administration 15‘They'll cooperate to avoid something worse, added another of the guests. “That's how they've always survived. ‘But this time things are going to be different. They don’t have any idea how to save themselves from the plans of the SS said Gebauer rather sadly. Oskar could see from the faces of the men at this table that they did not hate Jews, and he felt a sense of relief in their company. These men were his friends, and in the future they would also help him to carry out his own plans. Oskar did not spend all of his time in restaurants and clubs. He worked very hard during DEF’: first year in business — harder than he had ever worked in his life — but it was worth it because DEF was making a fortune for him. Part of Oskar’s satisfaction came from the fact that he was employing a lot more people and was making a lot more money than his father had ever done. The only thing that slowed down the work in the factory was the weather. On bad days the SS men stopped Jews on their way to work and made them clear the streets and pavements of snow. Sometimes as many as 125 workers failed to arrive at the factory on a winter morning. Oskar went to SS headquarters to complain to his friend Herman Toffel. ‘I have military contracts, explained Oskar, ‘and DEF is part of an essential industry. My products will help Germany win the war, but my workers must arrive at my factory on time every day’ “Oskar, these SS men don’t care about contracts or essential industries. They want to see Jews working like slaves for them. They’re causing problems for every factory in Krakow? Oskar left thinking about what Toffel had said. A factory owner must have control over his workers; they must not be prevented from coming to work. It was an industrial principle, but also a moral one. Oskar would apply it to the limit at DEF ° 16As his employees worked on DEF’s military contracts at the beginning of 1941, Oskar began to hear rumours that a ghetto was planned for the Jews in Krakow. He hurried to Itzhak Stern’s office to warn him. ‘Oh yes, Herr Schindler} said Stern calmly, ‘we have heard about this plan. Some people are even looking forward to the ghetto because we'll be together inside, and the enemy will be outside. We can run our own affairs without people throwing stones at us or spitting on us. The walls of the ghetto will be the final step that the Germans will take against us. On the same day, Schindler heard two Germans talking in a bar. ‘All Jews have to be inside the ghetto by 20 March. Things will be better without Jews living near us.’ ‘Better for the Poles too, added his friend. ‘They hate the Jews as much as we do. They blame them for everything that has gone wrong in Poland in this century. When I came here in 1939, the Poles wanted to help us punish the Jews. Maybe even the Jews will be happier if they’re separated from the Poles and from us.’ Many Jews agreed with this opinion even though they knew that life in the ghetto would be very hard. The ghetto itself would be small, and they would have to live in crowded rooms, sharing their space with families who had different customs and habits. They would have to have an official labour card to be able to leave the ghetto for work, which they would no longer be paid for. They would have to survive on their rations. But there would be definite rules, and the Jews believed they would be able to adjust to them in a place where their lives could again be organized and calm. For some older Jews the ghetto also represented a kind of homecoming, and like Jews over the centuries in other ghettos, they would drink coffee together, even if they could not have cream in it, and they would enjoy being Jewish among Jews.By March, as he drove one of his four luxury cars from his apartment to his factory each morning, Oskar saw Jewish families carrying or pushing their odd bits and pieces into the ghetto. He assumed that this was how Jewish families had arrived in Krakow over five hundred years before. For two weeks, the Jews walked between the apartments and the ghetto with their beds, their chairs, their pots and pans. They had hidden their jewellery and their fur coats under piles of pillows and blankets. As they walked through the streets, crowds of Poles threw mud and shouted, “The Jews are going! Goodbye, Jews!” An official from the Judenrat Housing Office met each family at the ghetto gate and directed them to their room. On 20 March the move was complete, and for the moment, the Jews were at rest. Twenty-three-year-old Edith Liebgold now lived in one room with her mother and her young baby. When Krakow had fallen to the Germans eighteen months before, her husband had become severely depressed. One day he had walked into the forest and never come back. On her second day inside the ghetto, Edith saw an SS truck stop in the square and take people away to clean the streets. It was not the work that Edith was afraid of, but she had heard rumours that the trucks usually returned with fewer people than when they left. Next morning Edith went to the Jewish Employment Office with a group of her friends. She hoped to be able to get a job at night when her mother could look after the baby. The office was crowded — everyone wanted a job in essential industry and a labour card. Edith and her friends were talking and laughing together when a serious-looking man in a suit and tie came over to them. He had been attracted by their noise and energy. ‘Excuse me, said Abraham Bankier. ‘Instead of waiting, there is an enamelware factory in Zablocie which needs ten healthy 18women to work nights. It’s outside the ghetto so you'll get labour cards. You'll be able to get things you need on the outside? He waited and let the girls think for a minute or two. ‘Is the work hard?’ asked one girl. “Not heavy work, he assured them. ‘And they'll teach you on the job. The owner is a good man? ‘A German?’ “Of course, said Bankier, ‘but one of the good ones. ‘Does he beat his workers?’ asked Edith. ‘No, never, answered Bankier. ‘And he gives them good thick soup and bread every day: That night Edith and her friends arrived at DEF and were taken upstairs to the director’s office by Bankier. When he opened the door, the girls saw Herr Schindler sitting behind a huge desk, smoking a cigarette. The girls were impressed by the tall, handsome figure who stood to greet them. His clean, shiny hair was between blonde and light brown. In his expensive suit and silk tie, he looked like a man on his way to the theatre or a smart dinner party. He looked, in fact, like Hitler’s perfect German. ‘I want to welcome you, he told them in Polish. ‘If you work here, then you will live through the war — you'll be safe. Now I must say good night to you. Mr Bankier will explain your jobs. How could anyone make this promise to them? Was he a god? Maybe so, because they all believed him. Edith and the other girls began their nights at DEF in a happy dream, remembering Herr Schindler’s magic words. If he was wrong, then there was nothing good in the world: no God, no bread, no kindness. But he was their best hope, and they continued to believe him. °° Just before Easter Oskar left Krakow and drove west through the forests to Zwittau to visit Emilie and the rest of his family. For a 19few days he wanted to spend money on them and enjoy their admiration of his expensive car and his success in Poland. Emilie was pleased to have Oskar at home for the holiday and looked forward to attending church with her husband and walking through Zwittau together like an old-fashioned couple. But their evenings alone in their own house were formal and polite rather than happy and romantic. There was always the question of whether or not Emilie should move to Krakow. Wasn’t it her duty as a good Catholic wife to be living with her husband? But Emilie would not consider moving to Poland unless Oskar gave up his girlfriends and protected her reputation as his wife. Unfortunately they could not discuss their situation openly, and so they continued to follow their old ways. After dinner each evening Oskar excused himself and went to a café in the main square to see old friends, most of whom were now soldiers. After a few drinks on one occasion a friend asked, ‘Oskar, why isn’t a strong young fellow like you in the army?’ “Part of an essential industry; responded Oskar. ‘Someone has to supply the German army with the things it needs.’ They laughed and told stories from before the war. Then one of the friends got serious. ‘Oskar, your father is here. He’s sick and lonely. Why don’t you have a word with him?’ “No, I’m going home, answered Oskar quickly, but the friend pushed him into his chair as another led Hans Schindler over. ‘How are you, Oskar?’ asked the elder Schindler in a weak voice. Oskar was surprised to see how small and ill this proud old man looked. Oskar knew from his own marriage that relationships could follow laws of their own; he understood now why his father had left his mother. He put his arms around the old man and kissed him on the cheek. His soldier friends, who had once been motorbikers like Oskar, cheered. Back in Krakow, Oskar began to receive letters from his father, always on the same topic: Hitler would not win the war because, in 20the end, the Americans and Russians would crush his evil empire. Oskar smiled at his father’s lack of loyalty to the German leader, then sent him another cheque to make up for the lost years. ° Of course life in the ghetto could never match the optimistic dream that many Jews had in March of 1941. Life changed when the administration of the ghetto passed from the control of the local German authorities, who relied on help from the Judenrat and the ghetto’s own police force, to Gestapo Section 4B, which was in charge of religion. This change occurred in the other big Jewish ghettos in the cities of Warsaw and Lédz too. In Krakow SS boss Julian Scherner now made all the rules for his ghetto, and life became even harder for the Jews under his administration. Some young Jewish men who had never had any power or position in the Jewish community took jobs in the new administration and learnt to make money by accepting bribes and making lists of uncooperative Jews for the SS. They were happy to obey Herr Scherner if it meant more power and more bread for them and their families. But would their luck last? Germany invaded Russia in 1941, and the nature of SS planning changed. The entire Nazi army was now preparing for a long war and carrying out Hitler’s plan to make Germany a racially pure nation. Oskar visited the ghetto in April to order two rings from a jeweller and to have a look around. He was shocked by the crowded conditions and the offensive smells, even though the women worked all day trying to keep the ghetto clean and free of lice in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The situation made Oskar think about the land behind his factory. He knew how to get as much wood as he wanted, and he began to wonder if he could get permission to build on this land. For Oskar Schindler 1941 was a fast, busy, but still almost easy year. He worked long hours, went to parties at the Hotel 21Krakovia, to drinking evenings at the jazz club and to romantic dinners with Victoria Klonowska. When the leaves began to fall, he wondered where the year had gone. Then, near the end of the year, he was arrested. Perhaps a Polish shipping clerk or a German engineer had reported him to the Gestapo for breaking one of the many new rules. But more likely, it was because of Oskar’s black market trading. You could never predict how people would react to success. “You must bring your business books with you, ordered one of the young Gestapo men who had come to arrest him. ‘Exactly what books do you want?’ asked Oskar, quickly realizing that these boys had not arrested many people before. “Cash books, said the other boy. Then the two of them went back to the outer office when the beautiful Miss Klonowska offered them coffee. Oskar got his accounts and made a list of names. ‘Miss Klonowska, said Oskar when he came out of his office, ‘please cancel these meetings for tomorrow: He handed her a piece of paper, which was actually a list of people with influence. With friends like these Oskar felt confident that he would not disappear forever behind the gates of the SS jail. At SS headquarters Oskar was left at the desk of an older German. ‘Herr Schindler; said the official, ‘please sit down. We are investigating all companies that are manufacturing products for the war cffort’ Oskar did not belicve the man, but he nodded to show that he understood. ‘It is the duty of every factory owner to concentrate on helping our army? “Of course, Oskar agreed. “You live very well; said the official. ‘And we need to know that all of your money comes from legal contracts. We will have to keep you here while we examine your books. Oskar smiled and said, ‘My dear sir, whoever gave you my name is a fool and is wasting your time. But, I assure you, when 22Herr Scherner and I are laughing about this over a glass of wine, 1 will tell him that you treated me very politely’ Oskar was then taken to a comfortable bedroom with its own bathroom and toilet. Soon there was a knock at the door, and Oskar received a small suitcase that Victoria had brought for him. It contained a bottle of whisky, some books, clean clothes and a few small luxuries. Later, a guard brought him an excellent supper with a good bottle of wine. Next morning the official from the night before visited him. ‘Herr Schindler, we have looked at your books, and we have received a number of telephone calls. It is clear that anyone who has such a close relationship with Herr Scherner and other important men is doing his best for the war effort’ Downstairs Victoria Klonowska was waiting for him, happy that her telephone calls had worked, and that Oskar was leaving the death house without a scratch. But, as he kissed Victoria, Oskar suspected that this would not be the last time the Gestapo would call him in to ask questions about his business. Chapter 4 Mercy Is Forgotten Late one afternoon in 1942, when the rest of the family were at work, Mrs Clara Dresner heard a knock at the door of her family’s crowded room in the ghetto. She hesitated — life was too uncertain to allow people to be friendly — but she knew there would be trouble if she ignored an official at her door. But instead of someone from the Judenrat, or even an SS officer, Mrs Dresner was surprised to see two Polish peasants and Genia, the daughter of her cousin, Eva. Genia’s parents had left her in the country with these poor farmers because they believed she would be safe there, but now even the countryside was as dangerous as the ghetto. The old Polish couple were very fond of the little girl and had treated her 23like a special grandchild, but neither they nor Genia were safe while the SS offered cash for every Jew who was betrayed. Genia, always dressed in the red cap, red coat and small red boots which the peasants had lovingly given her, settled into her new life and did as she was told without question. Mrs Dresner’s only concern was how strangely careful the three-year-old was about what she said, who she looked at and how she reacted to any movements around her. The Dresner family tried to make conversation about ‘Redcap’s’ real parents because they wanted the little girl to relax and feel at home with them. The parents had been hiding in the countryside too, but now planned to return to the relative safety of the Krakow ghetto. The child nodded as Danka, Mrs Dresner’s teenage daughter, talked, but she kept quiet. ‘Lused to go shopping for dresses with your mother, Eva. Then we would go to a lovely tea shop and have delicious cakes. Eva always let me have hot chocolate too. Genia did not smile or look at anyone. ‘Miss, you are mistaken, she said. ‘My mother’s name is not Eva. It’s Jasha’ She gave the names of the other people in her fictional family and explained where she was from. The Dresners frowned at each other but understood that this false history, which the peasants had taught her, might save her life one day. o Tt was 28 April 1942, Oskar Schindler's thirty-fourth birthday, and he celebrated like a rich, successful businessman — loudly and expensively. A party atmosphere spread throughout the departments of DEF as Oskar provided rare white bread with the workers’ soup and plenty of wine for his engineers, accountants and office workers. He passed out cigarettes and cake, and later a small group of Polish and Jewish men and women, representing the factory workers, entered the director's office to give him their best wishes. 24Oskar, feeling very happy on his special day, shook hands and even kissed one of the girls. That afternoon someone reported Herr Schindler to the authorities with a charge more serious than making money on the black market. This time Oskar was accused of a racial crime; no one could deny that he was a Jew-kisser. He was arrested on 29 April and rushed off to Montelupich prison, an even more frightening place than Pomorska prison, where he had been taken previously. Oskar knew that he could not expect a civilized chat with an SS officer or a comfortable bedroom and good food at Montelupich. As he was led into a small dark cell with two narrow beds and two buckets on the floor — one for water and one for waste — Oskar just hoped that he would get out of this place alive and unharmed. The door was locked behind him and after Oskar’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized he was not alone. “Welcome, sir; said an SS officer. Oskar was careful now. It was likely that this man was here to spy on him, but with nothing else to do, the two Germans eventually began to talk. Oskar acted surprised by the man’s complaints against the SS — they were cruel, greedy murderers — but he was determined not to share his own opinions of them. He desperately wanted a drink; a certain amount of alcohol would make the time go faster and make his companion seem more normal. Oskar banged on the cell bars and called for a guard. ‘Is it possible to order five bottles of whisky? Here’s the money’ ‘Five bottles, sir?’ asked the guard. “Yes, my friend and I would like a bottle each as we're enjoying a rare opportunity for good conversation. I hope that you and your colleagues will accept the other bottles as a gift from me. And could I ask you to call my secretary and give her this list of names? I’m sure a man in your position has the power to make a routine phone call for a prisoner’ 25“Are you crazy?’ asked the SS officer when the guard had walked away. Bribing a guard is more dangerous than kissing a Jew!” “We'll see? said Oskar calmly, but he was frightened. The whisky arrived and helped Oskar through his five anxious days in Montelupich. In the end his important friends got him released again, but before he left, he was called into the office of Rolf Czurda, head of the Krakow Special Duty groups. ‘Oskar? said Czurda, as an old friend, ‘we give you those Jewish girls to work in your factory. You should kiss us, not them. “You're right, but it was my birthday: Czurda shook his head. ‘Oskar, don’t be a fool. The Jews don’t have a future, I assure you. The extinction of the Jews is part of our official programme, and your important friends might not be able to save you if something like this happens again’ a By the summer of 1942 any idea of the ghetto being a small but permanent community had gone. There was no longer a post office, a newspaper, a restaurant or even a school. The Nazis made it clear that the ghetto would not be there for long. Everyone in the ghetto had to have a yellow identity card with a photo and a large blue ‘J’ for Jew. If you were lucky, you would get the Blauschein, or blue stamp, attached to your card to prove that you had an essential job outside the ghetto. Without the Blauschein, life became even riskier than before. Leopold Pfefterberg continued to live by doing favours for Oskar, by buying and selling on the black market and by teaching the children of Symche Spira, chief of the Jewish ghetto police. Because he had this job, Pfefferberg expected to get the Blauschein with no trouble when he went to the Labour Office, but the clerks refused to give him the stamp. ‘Teacher’ was not an approved profession for a Jew, and no one wanted to listen to Pfefterberg’s arguments about why he was an important worker. 26