closeicon
News

Personal items belonging to Oskar and Emilie Schindler to be auctioned in the UK

Items belonging to the Schindlers, who saved more than a thousand Jews from the Nazis, up for sale next month

articlemain

Letters sent to Emilie Schindler, the wife of Oskar Schindler, by people thanking her for her role in saving Jews during World War Two will be auctioned next month in the UK.

Objects belonging to her and her husband will be up for sale on December 8 at Lawrences auction house in Somerset. These include a plated dish with their names engraved on it, as well as two gold wristwatches belonging to the couple.

There are also 70 pieces of correspondence from admirers of Mrs Schindler, mostly written to her around 25 years ago.

Oskar Schindler managed to save approximately 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them at his enamelware factory, and bribing SS officials so that his workers could be listed as essential factory workers for the Nazis.

When the Schindlers’ money ran out, Emilie sold her jewels to buy food , clothes and medicine on the black market, in order to treat sick workers.

Their story was made famous, first by Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler’s Ark, and subsequently by Stephen Spielberg in his 1993 film Schindler’s List.

One of the letters reads, “I was very moved by your courageous self-sacrifice. More importantly, however, I thank you Frau Schindler, for having restored my faith in mankind.”

Another person wrote: “Although I never actually met you, it is an honour and a privilege, as a spiritual heir of those whom you saved, to wish you a very happy and healthy birthday”.

The letter are expected to sell for between £600-£700. The two watches are each expected to fetch between £500 and £600.

A spokesperson for the auction house said: “Lawrences Auctioneers are incredibly honoured to be offering this small archive of personal correspondence to Emilie Schindler. Her story was an extraordinary one, as many of these letters attest.

“This sale is also a welcome opportunity to highlight her role in this profoundly moving humanitarian act, undertaken at great personal risk.”

Share via

Want more from the JC?

To continue reading, we just need a few details...

Want more from
the JC?

To continue reading, we just
need a few details...

Get the best news and views from across the Jewish world Get subscriber-only offers from our partners Subscribe to get access to our e-paper and archive