Schindler, Oskar

Oskar Schindler, German industrialist 1908-1974

Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist and a member of the Nazi Party who is credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories in occupied Poland and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He is the subject of the 1982 novel "Schindler's Ark" and its 1993 film adaptation, "Schindler's List", which reflected his life as an opportunist initially motivated by profit, who came to show extraordinary initiative, tenacity, courage, and dedication to save the lives of his Jewish employees. He and his wife Emilie were named "Righteous Among the Nations" by the Israeli government in 1993.