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
