Yad Vashem urges Latin Patriarch to maintain Schindler's grave

German industrialist, who is credited with saving nearly 1,200 Jews during Holocaust, died in 1974 and is buried in privately-run Catholic cemetery on Mount Zion.

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
Schindler grave 224.88 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Schindler grave 224.88
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Yad Vashem has appealed to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to maintain the graveside of the internationally-renowned Holocaust hero Oskar Schindler following complaints by survivors that the site was in need of maintenance and upkeep, Israel's Holocaust Memorial said Monday. The German industrialist, who is credited with saving nearly 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust and whose memory was immortalized by the 1993 Oscar-award-winning film Schindler's List, died in 1974 and is buried in the privately-run Catholic cemetery on Mount Zion. "Yad Vashem has emphasized to the Latin Patriarchate the special significance that Oskar Schindler holds for the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and the importance in maintaining his graveside in an honorable manner," Yad Vashem spokewoman Iris Rosenberg said. The Latin Patriarchate is charged with the upkeep of the cemetery. In a letter to the Patriarchate, Yad Vashem wrote that Oskar Schindler has become a symbol and one of the most prominent of the more than 21,000 non-Jews recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations for putting their lives at risk to save Jews during the Holocaust. Schindler's graveside, which is dotted by small white Jerusalem stones in keeping with the Jewish tradition, has become a Jerusalem landmark for tourists and Holocaust survivors alike. The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem did not return a call for comment on Monday. Yad Vashem said it would also appeal to the Tourism Ministry for assistance on the issue.