For the first time, we are able to see what life was like for the Jews during the Holocaust. I use ‘life’ specifically because we do see the ‘life’ of the Jews manifested in Good Evening. Mr. Wallenberg and in Schindler’s List.
First, I’ll focus on the individuals these films are based off of. Both Raoul Wallenberg and Oscar Schindler were in a sense ‘normal’ people. They were, in a sense, allies of the Nazi regime, and were not persecuted by the Nazis. They were witness to the illegitimate persecution of the Jews, and decided to act upon it.
Bryce Courtenay write a spectacular novel entitled “The Power of One.” I will not add a spoiler to this blog for those who wish to read into this book, but it is the story of one boy, Peekay, who is persecuted. By his will power and his connections, he is able to overpower a wrecking force in his community. Peekay does not solve the problem; rather he takes it into his hands to do his best to rid a problem of bullying and persecution in his community.
This translates quite well to this actions Wallenberg and Schindler take. They did not end the persecution of the Jews. In the overall picture, they only were able to save a small population of Jews. However, there was a greater deed done by these two men. I have spoken before about what the power of a legacy. The most lasting impact Wallenberg and Schindler made is that they were able to save the legacy of tens of thousands of Jews. If those two men did not see the window of opportunity and the illegitimacy of the persecution, the legacies of those people would be lost. To make this a twofold approach to how many Jews were saved, the most important legacies manifested in the offspring of humans. If it was not for these two individuals, those approximately 100,000 saved by Wallenberg and the 1,200 saved by Schindler, easily grew to double or even triple the number with their offspring.
Finally, in the beginning of this post I mentioned the ‘life’ of the Jews. An integral part of the Wallenberg and Schindler plans was the support and attitude of the Jews in their company. More specifically, it was touching to see the normal religious practices still taking place during their hiding. The Sabbath was observed to the best possible, and prayer still occurred no matter where or what condition they were in. The Gospel of Matthew 18:20, “"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."
Be careful about Wallenberg. He was a Swede; Sweden was neutral during the war. Your point that the 2 men only saved a small percentage of European Jews does reveal that, however small the action, an act that opposes oppression and persecution is important.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWendi: Yes, I do realize that. The verses were used in the broad sense of community Religious practice.
ReplyDelete“Normal people”, what is normal or what is a normal person? We may never have but an opinion for an answer to these questions. When we watched these two movies, you are correct in saying they are seen as normal people. During the Holocaust many things that are in history talk about the people who did and the ones who made it. It was very nice and a different side of history to see people trying to help others make it out alive. These two men Schindler and Wallenberg were just ordinary men business men, trying to do the right thing and stop the deaths of some many innocent people. I took was in such shock over the amount of people these men were able to save. When watching the movies, I tried to put myself in their shoes. I do not know if I would be as brave as they were, this is what they are a great part of the history of the Holocaust.
ReplyDeleteDr. McCray's point about Wallenberg being Swedish is not one to be overlooked, I don't think. The fact that anyone from a neutral country would want to tie themselves up in a war of this magnitude is nothing short of amazing. Even though Wallenberg had business ties to Hungary, his Swedish citizenship could have allowed him to attempt to transfer away from his business dealings in the war-torn areas or he could have quit his job entirely. That would certainly be an option I'd be looking to were I in Wallenberg's position. His heroism knows no nationalism or ethnic ties. Both he and Schindler's stories provide respites from the nonstop violence of the Holocaust. They allowed some light to shine through the situation, and some hope for humanity's future.
ReplyDelete