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."
