Fact Vs Fiction: Schindler's List

One of the understated characters in the movie is Leopold Pfefferberg. He assists Schindler in dealing in the black market and acts as a point of view from within the ghetto.

During the liquidation scene, Pfefferberg begs his wife to hide in the sewers with him, to which she declines. During the aftermath of the dissolution of the ghetto where many Jews were murdered and survivors sent to the Paszlow concentration camp, Pfefferberg runs through the streets which have been ransacked as broken suitcases lay on the floor.

SS soldiers approach the area, and Pfefferberg performs the Polish Army salute and lies that he has been ordered to clear the debris. The SS members mock his salute, but leave him to his supposed duty, sparing him in the process.

While this serves to continue the dramatic tension during the horrific liquidation scene, this actually happened.

As part of his Holocaust Survivor Testimony, Pfefferberg details the story of how he was still wearing part of his Polish military attire on the day of liquidation. Nazi patrolmen approached him, and Pfefferberg ‘clicked’ his heels in salute before telling the lie which saved his life.

While he was mocked for using the Polish salute, the fact that one of the soldiers on patrol was an officer, he enjoyed the fact that Pfefferberg was giving him ample respect. The officer and the other SS soldiers left Pfefferberg to carry out his ‘stupid order.’