Born: 22 October 1907, Czechia
Died: 6 October 2001
Country most active: Germany
Also known as: Emilie Pelzl
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women creator Allison Tyra’s book Uncredited: Women’s Overlooked, Misattributed, and Stolen Work.
Oskar Schindler is internationally renowned for his work saving 1,300 Jews during World War II, not least because of the Oscar-winning 1993 film Schindler’s List. But while the film depicted his wife Emilie as a supporting character, she was just as involved as he was. The Schindlers’ scheme involved convincing the Nazis that Jewish workers were vital in their factory, which produced war supplies (including deliberately faulty bullets as sabotage). In one instance, Emilie intercepted a caravan transporting 250 Jews to a death camp, and convinced the officers to instead take them to the factory to be put to work. There, she nursed them back to health, ensuring that everyone had enough food even in the face of scarcity and government rationing.