The following article appeared in the Albuquerque Journal on October 21, 2004
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Exhibit Devoted to Heroism Displayed by Oskar Schindler During Holocaust
By Paul Logan
Journal Staff Writer
Holocaust survivor Maurice Strahl adored Oskar Schindler, said Werner Gellert.
Gellert recalled Wednesday what his late friend said about the hero of "Schindler's List": "He saved my life and he saved the lives of so many others."
As Gellert spoke of Strahl, an Albuquerque resident who died in 2002, he looked at a copy of the list— 1,098 Jewish names, all of whom Schindler saved from the Nazis' death camps. The list is part of a traveling exhibit from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
So far, about 50 people have seen the exhibit since it opened Monday, said Gellert, co-founder of New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum, located next to the KiMo Theatre.
Strahl's name is not on the typed human inventory sheets because he only worked for three months at Schindler's enamelware factory and then was transferred in 1943. The list was compiled a year later.
Oversized versions of the lists form the black and white panels that showcase photos and information from the 1940s when more than 6 millions Jews were murdered.
Gellert said New Mexicans should view the exhibit "to see again the importance of one individual who went against the stream, put his life on the line and felt that human beings— no matter what religion they are— need to be saved."
Schindler's factory in Krakow, Poland, produced mess kits and field kitchenware for the German Army.
When he relocated his business in 1944 to Brunnlitz, Czechoslovakia, Schindler took with him about 800 men and 300 women.
The list includes each Jew's name, nationality, camp number, reason for imprisonment, date of birth and occupation.
"He played a very dangerous game," Gellert said of Schindler. "He was in our opinion a hero ... He was one of those righteous individuals."
As part of the exhibit celebration, the movie "Schindler's List" and a documentary on Schindler will be shown at 2 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the Lobo Theater. Suggested donation is $10.
Gellert, 78 and a Holocaust survivor, and his wife, Frances, founded the museum nearly four years ago. It also contains memorabilia from a number of acts of genocide, including that of American Indians, as well as an 800-book research and lending library.
If you go
WHAT: Schindler traveling exhibit
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday until Nov.
30
WHERE: New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum, 415
Central NW
HOW MUCH: Free; donations appreciated; call 247-0606 to
volunteer