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By Carrell Evans
President of the MonDak Historical & Art Society
Part 5 - The Rescuers
Less than one half of one percent of non-Jews of Europe could be categorized as rescuers of Jews during the time from 1933-1945. In hind sight, knowing what is known now about the destruction of over six million Jews and hundreds of thousands of other victims of the Third Reich and the Holocaust, the question is, “Why didn’t more help?” The explanation might well lie in the adage, “being in the right place at the right time” or, maybe, being in the wrong place at the right time.
In her book, Conscience and Courage, Eva Fogelman lists factors that had to be in place to turn an observer into a rescuer. One needed to see that things were wrong. There had to be an opportunity to help, a means to help and a willingness to accept the responsibility to help. If any of these factors were missing, the observer remained just that, an observer.
There were four general categories of rescuers during this period. One category was the Judeophiles, those who cared about the Jews because they were relatives, friends or co-workers. Another was composed of concerned professionals such as doctors, clergy and social workers who cared for people no matter who they were. The networks of under-grounds and even whole countries such as Denmark the Netherlands rescued many Jews and others by refusing to follow orders or defying orders by aiding escapes and feeding or hiding refugees. There were many children who became rescuers partly because they often didn’t know any better. They didn’t have the fears many of the adults had. They could also go about more easily since less attention was paid to their movements.
Oskar Schindler was a Nazi, an opportunist and a bystander until events forced him to act as a rescuer. The Schindler Exhibition, opening at the MonDak Heritage Center, Friday, 7 p.m., tells his story and the story of the 1000+ Jews he saved. |
