A letter written by
Oskar Schindler’s former workers, signed: Isaak Stern, former employee Pal. Office in Krakow,
Dr. Hilfstein,
Chaim Salpeter, Former President of the Zionist Executive in Krakow for Galicia
and Silesia.
"Brothers!
We, the undersigned Jews from Krakow, inmates of Plaszow concentration camp,
have, since 1942, worked in
Director Schindler’s business. Since Schindler took over management of
the business, it was his exclusive goal to
protect us from resettlement, which would have meant our ultimate liquidation.
During the entire period in which we worked for Director Schindler
he did everything possible to save the lives of the greatest possible
number of Jews, in spite of the tremendous difficulties; especially during a
time when receiving Jewish workers caused great difficulties with the
authorities. Director Schindler took care of our sustenance, and as a
result, during the whole period of our employment by him there was
not a single case of unnatural death. All in all he employed more than 1,000
Jews in Krakow. As the Russian frontline approached and it became necessary to
transfer us to a different concentration camp, Director
Schindler relocated his business to Bruennlitz near Zwittau.
There were huge difficulties connected with the implementation of Director
Schindler’s business, and he took great pains to introduce this plan. The fact
that he attained permission to create a camp, in which not only women and men,
but also families could stay together, is unique within the territory of the
Reich. Special mention must be given to the fact that our resettlement to
Bruennlitz was carried out by way of a list of names, put together in Krakow and
approved by the Central Administration of all
concentration camps in Oranienburg (a unique case). After the men had been
interned in Gross-Rosen concentration camp for no more than a couple of days and
the women for 3 weeks in Auschwitz concentration camp, we may claim with
assertiveness that with our arrival in Bruennlitz we owe our lives solely to the
efforts of Director Schindler and his humane treatment of his workers. Director
Schindler took care of the improvement of our living standards by providing us
with extra food and clothing. No money was spared and his one and only goal was
the humanistic ideal of saving our lives from inevitable death.
It is only thanks to the ceaseless efforts and interventions of Director
Schindler with the authorities in question, that we stayed in Bruennlitz, in
spite of the existing danger, as, with the approaching frontline we would all
have been moved away by the leaders of the camp, which would have meant our
ultimate end. This we declare today, on this day of the declaration of the end
of the war, as we await our official liberation and the opportunity to return to
our destroyed families and homes. Here we are, a gathering of 1100 people, 800
men and 300 women.
All Jewish workers, that were inmates in the Gross-Rosen and Auschwitz
concentration camps respectively declare wholeheartedly their gratitude towards
Director Schindler, and we herewith state that it is exclusively due to his
efforts, that we were permitted to witness this moment, the
end of the war.
Concerning Director Schindler's treatment of the Jews,
one event that took place during our internment in Bruennlitz in January
of this year which deserves special mention was coincidentally a transport of
Jewish inmates, that had been evacuated from the Auschwitz concentration camp,
Goleschow outpost, and ended up near us. This transport consisted exclusively of
more than 100 sick people from a hospital which had been cleared during the
liquidation of the camp. These people reached us frozen and almost unable to
carry on living after having wandered for weeks. No other camp was willing to
accept this transport and it was Director Schindler alone who personally took
care of these people, while giving them shelter on his factory premises; even
though there was not the slightest chance of them ever being employed. He gave
considerable sums out of his own private funds, to enable their recovery as
quick as possible. He organized medical aid and established a special hospital
room for those people who were bedridden. It was only because of his personal
care that it was possible to save 80 of these people from their inevitable death
and to restore them to life.
We sincerely plead with you to help Director Schindler in any way possible,
and especially to enable him to establish a new life, because of all he did for
us both in Krakow and in Bruennlitz he sacrificed his entire fortune.
Bruennlitz, May 8, 1945."
Translated from the original document in German
Source: The Oscar Schindler file, Department of Righteous among the Nations, Yad
Vashem
YAD VASHEM, The Holocaust
Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority
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