The Jewess and the Captain
Encyclopedia
The Jewess And The Captain is a 1994 documentary, directed by Ulf von Mechow about a Holocaust love affair between Ilse Stein, an eighteen-year-old Jewish girl, and Willi Schultz, the Nazi captain in charge of the Minsk
ghetto
.
After the Holocaust, Ilse Stein became a minor celebrity
and the subject of two romance novels. The film conducts interviews with Ilse just before her death, reveals shocking archival photographs of her and Schultz, and raids the KGB
's secret documents to piece together the facts of their romance and uncover a real-life love story with a bizarre twist.
in 1941 and deported to a Nazi ghetto in Minsk. The same month that the Steins arrived, Schultz was sent to the ghetto to supervise its work operations. Soon after his arrival, Schultz lost almost all of his workers to a Nazi massacre that killed over 5,000 of the ghetto’s Jews in one night. When he went to the ghetto the next day to select new workers, Ilse caught his eye--he chose her and made her the leader of the group.
Ilse’s and Schultz’s unlikely love developed amidst the constant gore and death within the ghetto. Schultz's personal photographs from the time, taken inside his office, show Ilse not as a terror-stricken young woman, but a smiling, lanky beauty, happily reclining with a book or diligently working at a typewriter. She is photographed with the grace and ease of a happy-go-lucky teenager-in-love.
A romance elevated Ilse out of the horror around her, and it was love that transformed Schultz, too. When another pogrom
broke out in the ghetto, killing a large number of Jews on the night of July 20, 1942. Schultz was moved to save not just Ilse but as many of her fellow Jews as he could. That night, he locked all of his workers in the cellar of the administration building.
As Jewish deaths at the hands of the Nazis continued to escalate as time progressed, the previously-loyal German captain began to plot to save his lover and more than two dozen other Jews. Eventually, with the help of neighboring resistance fighters, Schultz deserted the German army and helped plan a grand escape that saved the lives of Ilse Stein and twenty-five other Jews.
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
.
After the Holocaust, Ilse Stein became a minor celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
and the subject of two romance novels. The film conducts interviews with Ilse just before her death, reveals shocking archival photographs of her and Schultz, and raids the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
's secret documents to piece together the facts of their romance and uncover a real-life love story with a bizarre twist.
Summary
Ilse and her family were removed from their home in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1941 and deported to a Nazi ghetto in Minsk. The same month that the Steins arrived, Schultz was sent to the ghetto to supervise its work operations. Soon after his arrival, Schultz lost almost all of his workers to a Nazi massacre that killed over 5,000 of the ghetto’s Jews in one night. When he went to the ghetto the next day to select new workers, Ilse caught his eye--he chose her and made her the leader of the group.
Ilse’s and Schultz’s unlikely love developed amidst the constant gore and death within the ghetto. Schultz's personal photographs from the time, taken inside his office, show Ilse not as a terror-stricken young woman, but a smiling, lanky beauty, happily reclining with a book or diligently working at a typewriter. She is photographed with the grace and ease of a happy-go-lucky teenager-in-love.
A romance elevated Ilse out of the horror around her, and it was love that transformed Schultz, too. When another pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
broke out in the ghetto, killing a large number of Jews on the night of July 20, 1942. Schultz was moved to save not just Ilse but as many of her fellow Jews as he could. That night, he locked all of his workers in the cellar of the administration building.
As Jewish deaths at the hands of the Nazis continued to escalate as time progressed, the previously-loyal German captain began to plot to save his lover and more than two dozen other Jews. Eventually, with the help of neighboring resistance fighters, Schultz deserted the German army and helped plan a grand escape that saved the lives of Ilse Stein and twenty-five other Jews.