Today was another good day. In the morning we started a little late so we were able to get more sleep (desperately needed as I didn’t get to bed until 2am). We went and toured “Jewish Krakow.” We saw all the synagogues and other Jewish sites that still exist in the city. There are very few Jews in Krakow – or in Poland, for that matter – but many of the sites important to their history still exist.
Our next item on the agenda was to go to Oskar Schindler’s factory here in Krakow. He came to Poland in 1940 to set up a factory and become fabulously wealthy. He certainly succeeded – by “buying” a factory from Jews who couldn’t own property anymore and using Jewish slave labor to make a huge fortune.
Me at the front gate of Oskar Schindler's factory in Krakow
However, he seemed to have a change of heart. We saw the hill from where he saw the liquidation of the Jewish Ghetto and was startled by the brutality of it all. We were taken to several of the little town squares where the Jews were told to report for “deportation” or “resettlement.” We also toured the area where Steven Spielberg filmed a scene for the movie Schindler’s List. It is the scene where they are being deported and the suitcases are being thrown down off the railing – and the young Jewish Kapo (police) hides a mother and her daughter from the Germans.
Recognize these places from "Schindler's List?"
Eventually, Schindler uses that fortune to keep his Jews from being sent to Auschwitz and gassed. He was able to save over 1,100 people. I really like this story (the movie is pretty good, too – but Schindler comes out looking better than he actually was & his wife is mostly ignored. She played an important role too) because it shows how an imperfect man can still do great things and even save the lives of his fellowmen.
There is a great new museum in the administration wing of Schindler’s factory. The factory no longer exists, but the front gate and the administrative offices are still there. The museum describes life in Krakow just before the war and during the occupation. At the end of the war you get to go into Schindler’s private office and look around. It was pretty cool. They also have a circular memorial with the names of all the “Schindler Jews.”
Oskar Schindler's office at the Enamelworks Factory
Oh yeah – I heard a great story from the filming of “Schindler’s List.” I guess Steven Spielberg, Liam Neeson (played Schindler), and Ben Kinglsey (played Itzak Stern) were in a small café eating lunch when some guy came in and yelled, “Dirty Jews” at them. Ben Kinglsey leapt over the table and began pummeling the guy before anyone else could even process what had just happened! Remember, Ben Kingsley was the actor who won an Oscar for portraying Gandhi in the film of the same name. Imagine “Gandhi” beating the crap out of someone! Wow. . . .
At the factory I just had to buy a little enamel sign (Schindler’s factory in Krakow made enamelware for the German army – and the black market) with the address and name of Schindler’s factory. It’s something that will definitely go up in my classroom this fall.
One of the presses from the Schindler Factory - it made cups from metal discs
After the factory, we were able to head back to the hotel so we could get some much needed rest and shopping completed before dinner. I did my share and will go back for more an hour before dinner – just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. J
Then, it will be an early evening for me. We have to check out tomorrow morning and then we’ve got a long drive to Warsaw. More on that when I log in after the trip. . . .
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