Question

Why is it that Oskar Schindler, the German Industrialist, saved fewer Jews than Irena, the social worker, but initially received more acclaim than she?

Answer 1

Answer and Explanation:

There are several reasons why Oscar Schindler receives more praise than Irena Sendler, one of these reasons is the erasure of great historical female figures due to the overvaluation of male figures. Another reason is that Oscar Schindler was part of the German business class, the center of Nazism and where the attack on Jews was supported by most of the population. It was unlikely that German citizens would take a stand against Nazism and the extermination of Jews, especially a German from Schindler's social class and who worked directly with Nazi production. Although Irena Sendler took as much risk as Schindler, she was Polish and a nurse, which made it easier for her to have humanist and empathetic positions towards Jews, and it was more common for Poles not to support Nazi ideas.