On Monday in Chapel, we sang the hymn Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, and received a talk from Mr. Fox about the life of Oskar Schindler. We were reminded that although people may be flawed in many ways, they can still be 'upstanders'.

Oskar Schindler was born in 1908. He was expelled from technical school for forging his report card, was arrested several times for public drunkenness, was unfaithful to his wife and was a member of the Nazi Party. He was motivated by money and employed Jews in low-paid work because it was cheaper than employing non-Jewish Polish workers. After the war he moved to Argentina where his business failed. He left his wife of many years and returned to Germany. An alcoholic, like his father, he died of liver failure in 1974.

Oskar Schindler was one of the biggest 'upstanders' during the Holocaust. He decided to save his workers. To do this he had to bribe Nazi officials, with expensive gifts that he used his own money to purchase. He pretended to agree with the Nazis so that he could maintain influence over them. He even changed the purpose of his factory from making cooking pots to ammunition. To prevent his factory from being moved to a concentration camp where his workers could be mistreated, he and his clerk compiled a list of the skilled workers he needed for the war effort. History came to know this document as Schindler’s List.

In 1962, he and his wife were invited to Yad Vashem (the Holocaust memorial site in Israel) to witness a tree being planted in his honour. They were honoured as 'Righteous Among the Nations'. We can all be good 'upstanders' despite our flaws and failures.

Wednesday’s chapel could not have been more different. It was St David’s Day and after a brief summary of his life given by Revd Vindra, Mr Turner led Chapel with props, including his bicycle helmet, his failed attempts at pottery and weaving. He talked about how we can learn from failure and that failure builds resilience. Having previously failed at pottery and weaving, he was able to display some of his more recent work, which included pots and a colourful scarf. He engaged the students hugely and was applauded at the end. We sang the hymn Guide me O' Thou Great Redeemer.

Wishing you a lovely weekend with time to rest and engage in activities which bring joy.

With every blessing,
Revd Vindra Maraj-Ogden
Chaplain