Testimony of Yitzhak Stern

"….One could go on and on telling about Oscar Schindler. I was asked to be brief and to speak in Yiddish. I will try to comply and speak telegraphically. But will I succeed?

I met Schindler on 18 November 1939 when he came to see his friend, the administrator of the firm we had worked for….Schindler would come from time to time to this firm. When I first met him, and he extended his hand to me, I said “I’m a Jew” – because a Jew had to announce he was a Jews when talking to a German. Schindler dismissed this and said “nonsense. Why do you say this. Why do you remind me that I’m a German. Don’t I already know it?.” Every time he visited, he would come to my office  and talk to me. More than once would people argue with me and my colleagues were afraid of Schindler and warned me not to refrain from polemics with him. I was afraid too, but there was something special about Schindler. His conduct to me was totally different from that of other Germans. Schindler’s conduct was revealed the first time when he came to the office of my firm on 4 December 1939, well dressed, very German and radiating power. Upon entering he yelled: “Tomorrow is the beginning – all the houses from the Jewish quarter to a certain point will be encircled and there will be a lot going on.” (until that time there was yet no ghetto and Jews lived all over the city.) We didn’t pay attention to what he said; we didn’t believe him; but the same night everything happened as Schindler had predicted. All Jewish homes until a certain place were encircled. They began to search for people, and many were murdered in their homes and in the synagogues. AS you probably remember, the pogrom went on for several days and Jews were forbidden to be outside. After our return to work we remembered: “Schindler had told us all about the plans, and we, stupid people, didn’t pay attention”.