Remember Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film ‘ Schindler’s List’? In it Oskar Schindler, an ambitious Czech businessman, has his epiphany in Krakow, Poland during the German occupation. Schindler came to Krakow to make his fortune using Jewish labor at a factory he opened. Schindler ‘ worked the system’ to get ‘ No pay’ Jewish workers by bribing the German Army contacts he made. At that point in his life Oskar just had the philosophy of ‘ Go along to get along’. As he got to see and understand what was going on regarding how the Germans treated the Jews, Schindler quickly got a conscience. From that point on he did all that he could to aid those Jewish workers in his factory, without getting the authorities to stop his efforts. It was a tightrope that he had to walk. By the end of the film we see how Oskar Schindler, after his epiphany, saved so many lives.
The karmic turnaround now faced by so many of the Jewish faith ( of which this writer is but 12.5%) is what has been occurring in Gaza. Imagine if Oskar Schindler, the man who had his epiphany, was now an Israeli Jew. Imagine if he had, some time earlier, opened a factory in Gaza for whatever self centered reasons he may have had. Perhaps the fact of securing cheap labor and low costs to run his factory there are what made this businessman plan such an operation. As with the Spielberg film and what Oskar Schindler saw and heard in that Krakow ghetto, so too this Israeli Oskar Schindler woke up to the current reality. One must surmise that this new Oskar Schindler would do his best to stand up for the Palestinians being terrorized and murdered by his countryman. Unfortunately, the Oskar Schindler from Krakow had to do it alone. Perhaps it is time for more and more Israeli Jews to become like Oskar Schindler of Gaza.
Philip A Farruggio is regular columnist on itstheempirestupid website. He is also frequently posted on Countercurrents, Dissident Voice and the Nation of Change Blogs. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn NYC longshoremen and a graduate of Brooklyn College, class of 1974. Since the 2000 election debacle Philip has written over 500 columns on the Military Industrial Empire and other facets of life in an upside down America. He is also host of the ‘ It’s the Empire… Stupid ‘ radio show, co produced by Chuck Gregory. Philip can be reached at [email protected].
