Schindler’s List

Schindler’s List

by

Thomas Keneally

Itzhak Stern Character Analysis

Itzhak Stern is Oskar Schindler’s Jewish accountant, as well as his constant companion and co-conspirator. Stern is also Schindler’s “confessor,” acting at times as his conscience, and he arguably inspires all of Schindler’s ventures when he quotes Schindler the line from the Talmud about how “he who saves the life of one man saves the world entire.” Stern is a pragmatist who, in the days before Schindler arrives in Cracow, has already started to learn how to navigate the Nazi bureaucracy. Stern starts out as the accountant for Abwehr agent Sepp Aue, who takes over the business where Stern works (which formerly had a Jewish owner). He meets Schindler (who is also working with the Abwehr at the time) when Schindler shows him the balance sheet of a company he’s looking to acquire, the enamelware manufacturer Rekord. From Schindler’s first factory in Cracow (Emalia) to the Brinnlitz camp, Stern manages the logistics of Schindler’s businesses as well as helping to facilitate his real work: secretly rescuing as many Jews as possible from the Holocaust. Despite several setbacks and close calls, Stern helps Oskar lead his Jewish prisoners to the end of the war. Afterwards, Stern becomes one of Schindler’s main advocates, since Schindler’s membership in the Nazi Party makes him vulnerable to arrest after the war.

Itzhak Stern Quotes in Schindler’s List

The Schindler’s List quotes below are all either spoken by Itzhak Stern or refer to Itzhak Stern. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Virtue and Selflessness Theme Icon
).
Prologue Quotes

Not to stretch belief so early, the story begins with a quotidian act of kindness—a kiss, a soft voice, a bar of chocolate. Helen Hirsch would never see her 4,000 złoty again-not in a form in which they could be counted and held in the hand. But to this day she considers it a matter of small importance that Oskar was so inexact with sums of money.

Related Characters: Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern, Amon Goeth, Helen Hirsch/Lena
Page Number: 30
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

Aue liked Stern’s dry, effective style with the legal evidence. He began to laugh, seeing in the accountant’s lean features the complexities of Cracow itself, the parochial canniness of a small city. Only a local knew the ropes. In the inner office Herr Schindler sat in need of local information.

Related Characters: Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern, Sepp Aue
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

Within two minutes the men were chatting like friends. The pistol in Pfefferberg’s belt had now been relegated to the status of armament for some future, remote emergency. There was no doubt that Mrs. Pfefferberg was going to do the Schindler apartment, no expense spared, and when that was settled, Schindler mentioned that Leopold Pfefferberg might like to come around to the apartment to discuss other business. “There is the possibility that you can advise me on acquiring local merchandise,” Herr Schindler said. “For example, your very elegant blue shirt . . . I don’t know where to begin to look for that kind of thing myself.” His ingenuousness was a ploy, but Pfefferberg appreciated it. “The stores, as you know, are empty,” murmured Oskar like a hint.

Related Characters: Oskar Schindler (speaker), Itzhak Stern, Leopold (Poldek) Pfefferberg, Mina Pfefferberg
Page Number: 54
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

Before the Hilos had even been properly calibrated, Oskar began to get hints from his SS contacts at Pomorska Street that there was to be a ghetto for Jews. He mentioned the rumor to Stern, not wanting to arouse alarm. Oh, yes, said Stern, the word was out. Some people were even looking forward to it. We’ll be inside, the enemy will be outside. We can run our own affairs. No one will envy us, no one stone us in the streets. The walls of the ghetto will be fixed. The walls would be the final, fixed form of the catastrophe.

Related Characters: Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern, Hans Frank
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Schindler’s List LitChart as a printable PDF.
Schindler’s List PDF

Itzhak Stern Quotes in Schindler’s List

The Schindler’s List quotes below are all either spoken by Itzhak Stern or refer to Itzhak Stern. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Virtue and Selflessness Theme Icon
).
Prologue Quotes

Not to stretch belief so early, the story begins with a quotidian act of kindness—a kiss, a soft voice, a bar of chocolate. Helen Hirsch would never see her 4,000 złoty again-not in a form in which they could be counted and held in the hand. But to this day she considers it a matter of small importance that Oskar was so inexact with sums of money.

Related Characters: Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern, Amon Goeth, Helen Hirsch/Lena
Page Number: 30
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

Aue liked Stern’s dry, effective style with the legal evidence. He began to laugh, seeing in the accountant’s lean features the complexities of Cracow itself, the parochial canniness of a small city. Only a local knew the ropes. In the inner office Herr Schindler sat in need of local information.

Related Characters: Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern, Sepp Aue
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

Within two minutes the men were chatting like friends. The pistol in Pfefferberg’s belt had now been relegated to the status of armament for some future, remote emergency. There was no doubt that Mrs. Pfefferberg was going to do the Schindler apartment, no expense spared, and when that was settled, Schindler mentioned that Leopold Pfefferberg might like to come around to the apartment to discuss other business. “There is the possibility that you can advise me on acquiring local merchandise,” Herr Schindler said. “For example, your very elegant blue shirt . . . I don’t know where to begin to look for that kind of thing myself.” His ingenuousness was a ploy, but Pfefferberg appreciated it. “The stores, as you know, are empty,” murmured Oskar like a hint.

Related Characters: Oskar Schindler (speaker), Itzhak Stern, Leopold (Poldek) Pfefferberg, Mina Pfefferberg
Page Number: 54
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

Before the Hilos had even been properly calibrated, Oskar began to get hints from his SS contacts at Pomorska Street that there was to be a ghetto for Jews. He mentioned the rumor to Stern, not wanting to arouse alarm. Oh, yes, said Stern, the word was out. Some people were even looking forward to it. We’ll be inside, the enemy will be outside. We can run our own affairs. No one will envy us, no one stone us in the streets. The walls of the ghetto will be fixed. The walls would be the final, fixed form of the catastrophe.

Related Characters: Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern, Hans Frank
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis: