The Other Schindlers: Why Some People Chose to Save Jews in the Holocaust

by Agnes Grunwald-Spier, Martin Gilbert (Foreword)

The inspiring stories of courageous non-Jews who risked their own lives to save Jews from the Holocaust



Thanks to Thomas Keneally’s book Schindler’s Ark , and the film based on it, Schindler’s List , people have become more aware of the fact that, in the midst of Hitler’s extermination of the Jews, courage and humanity could still overcome evil. While six million Jews were murdered by the Nazi regime, some were saved through the actions of non-Jews whose consciences would not allow them to pass by on the other side, and many are honored by Israel's official memorial to Jewish Holocaust victims, Yad Vashem, as "Righteous among the Nations" for their actions. As a baby, Agnes Grunwald-Spier was herself saved from the horrors of Auschwitz by an unknown official, and is now a trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. She has collected the stories of 30 individuals who rescued Jews, providing a new insight into why these people were prepared to risk so much for their fellow men and women. With a foreword by one of the leading experts on the subject, this is an ultimately uplifting account of how some good deeds really do shine in a weary world.

Genres: Holocaust, Nonfiction, History, World War II, War

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 9, 2010

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is interesting read simply for one figure - Charles Fawcett who helped women escape the Nazis by marrying them. There needs to be a biography about this man because I want to read it.

Overall this is a rather interesting book, though sometimes the author does ramble a bit, and in some cases the stories seem more about the person being saved as opposed to the aid giver. (Also if this book is supposed to about people other then Schindler, why include Schindler?). Additionally, in some cases the rescuers seem to be the whole family as opposed to just the person listed.

But Charles Fawcett sounds like he was a really awesome guy.

The book also includes an analysis of why people rebelled and what rebellion might be. These after chapters are somewhat interesting, though there isn't much new there. Of more interest are the charts in the back that list and charting of the various stories. The stories are divided, loosely, into reasons.

The rescuers detailed are:

1. Bertha Bracey - a Quaker who helped save children.

2. Charles Fawcett - the very cool marrying dude

3. Carl Lutz - a diplomat

4. Hermann Maas - a pastor

5. Valerie Racz - a singer

6. Souer St. Cybard - a nun

7. Aristides de Sousa Mendes - a diplomat from Portugal who paid a rather high price for what he did.

8 and 9. Jelle and Elizabeth van Dyk - who helped rescue children

10 and 11. Achille Belloso Afan and Guilia Afan de Rivera Costaguti - Italians who helped families.

12. Christine Denner - mentioned in The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust.

13 and 14. Josephine and Victor Guicherd - sheltered children

15. Dr. Feng Shan Ho - Chinese diplomat

16. Stefaija Ladigiene - who offered shelter to various people

17. Iris Origo - added children

18. Vytautas Rinkevicius - sheltered a family

19. Jaap Van Proosdij - really the whole family was in the Resistance

20. John/ Jaap Schoen - like the above.

21. Oskar Schindler - really could have included more infromation about his wife.

22. Henk Huffener - Resistance member

23. Claire Keen-Thiryn - whole family was in the Resistance

24 and 25. Jacob and Hendrika Klerk - helped various people

26. Robert Maistriau - one of three people who derailed a train headed to a camp

27. Maria Saidler - helped a family

28 and 29. Mr and Mrs Stenzel - helped a friend

30. Janos Toth - helped a daughter of a doctor.

31. Karl Petras - helped someone to escape to India.

[Tânia Tanocas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Não gostei da maneira como a autora aborda cada individualidade, muita informação, acho que deveria ter sido mais sucinta.
Ainda assim, gostei da intenção de homenagear as várias personalidades anónimas que fizeram o que podiam e não podiam para salvar os outros.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book talking about the rescuers and their motivation to save the Jews. The downside was the author was not skilled in relaying the stories rambling back and forth between past and present and mentioning conversations she personally had with family members of the rescuers in the midst of the story. It was like have grandma tell a story where she kept forgetting to add what she thought was important. It could have been so much better.

[Victoria Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Would you be a rescuer or a bystander?" This book tells the stories of the rescuers and the rescued, and. leaves us with those questions. Apt indeed, as to humanity's disgrace, the Jewish Holocaust was not an isolated event. Humbling and necessary reading.

[Erik Ryberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The analysis is a bit more engaging than the stories chosen. An interesting project by Agnes G-S and the book sometimes sounds a bit like a project, but the idea is quite original and it is interesting to come across some people who saved Jews and why they may have done so. Again, G-s's analysis at the end stands out more than some of the stories.

[Vicky Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fascinating and informative book, however the author had a tendency to jump around with references to people etc to the extent it made it a difficult read at times as i needed to go back and reread sections as i was unclear who the author was reffering to. But apart from this i found this book very interesting and well researched.

[Theodore M. Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping stories

Well documented and told. There indeed many people that did become bystanders. This book might just encourage others to actively jump in and make a difference.

[Susan Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating profiles of several Holocaust rescuers.

[Gawain_the_Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally finished this book which if I am honest was a bit of a struggle!

The subject matter was interesting but got somewhat repetitive. The writing style was also quite academic with a bit of blurb and then a long quote and then more blurb … felt like I was reading a thesis of some form not something written to ‘engage the masses’.

[Ana-Maria Bujor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of read that gives bask a little faith in humanity (even though it kills some of it in the end) and I really enjoyed its natural and non-pretentious styles. It just tells stories and then provides a bit of psychology and history. I feel each of the stories of the saviors could have been turned into a book, which is why I felt that I did not get the whole story on some occasions. Some other stories were very powerful on the other hand, especially those of families caring for children, who then did not want to go back to their parents after the war. The research is impressive, the emotion is real and the learning points are quite a few. Highly recommended.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed and pretty comprehensive, this is provides a very good history of the varied motivations and methods that led people to assist the persecuted during the Holocaust.

[Tamiris · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Detesto a inadequada palavra 'heroi'. É um exemplo do aviltamento de valores humanos que transforma a decência comum em heroísmo." Jaap van Proosdij