On the slope of Mount Zion, a small Catholic cemetery contains the grave of Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist who saved the lives of over 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. Schindler’s story, made famous by Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film “Schindler’s List,” is one of the most extraordinary tales of individual courage in the 20th century, and his grave on Mount Zion has become a pilgrimage site for visitors from around the world.
Man
Oskar Schindler was not a saint. He was a member of the Nazi Party, a war profiteer, a drinker, a gambler, and a womanizer. He came to Krakow in 1939 to make money from the war, taking over a confiscated Jewish enamelware factory and staffing it with cheap Jewish labor from the nearby ghetto. But somewhere along the way, something changed. As the persecution intensified and the deportations to the death camps began, Schindler began using his factory as a refuge, bribing officials, forging documents, and spending his entire fortune to keep his workers alive.
By the end of the war, Schindler had saved over 1,200 Jews, the people who became known as the “Schindlerjuden” (Schindler’s Jews). He emerged from the war penniless, having spent everything he had on bribes and supplies for his workers. He tried and failed at several business ventures after the war, supported in part by the people he had saved.
Why Mount Zion
Schindler spent time in Israel after the war and developed a deep connection to the country. In 1963, he was recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations, one of the first Germans to receive the honor. When he died in Germany in 1974 at the age of 66, he was buried on Mount Zion at his own request, the only member of the Nazi Party buried in Jerusalem. The location, on the hill where David reigned and Jesus ate his last supper, is a statement about redemption that Schindler himself might have found ironic.
The Grave
The grave is marked by a simple stone, almost always covered with small stones left by visitors in the Jewish tradition of honoring the dead. The contrast between the simplicity of the grave and the enormity of what the man did is deeply moving. The inscription reads in Hebrew, German, and English. Fresh stones appear every day, placed by visitors who come from the film, from the history books, or from the families of the people he saved.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Schindler’s grave is a brief but powerful stop on Mount Zion. Hoshen Tours includes it alongside the Yad Vashem experience for groups focused on Holocaust remembrance. Because the story of a flawed man who did the right thing when it mattered most is, in its own way, as important as the story of the millions who were lost.