The success of our project is not isolated. We are living in a time of banal evil, but also in a time that yearns to believe that we can do good. Schindler’s List became a social phenomenon not so much for its excellence but for its message. In Anna Karina, near the end, Levin finally has all he wants: his beloved wife, a child, work he loves, and the respect of his peasants. Yet, he thinks of suicide. He asks one of his serfs, a wise old man, what a person is supposed to do to achieve happiness. The man answers, “Serve God.” What is serving God if not serving others?
If each of us committed only an hour a week to teaching literacy, or working at Head Start, or visiting the sick, we would not only create a more caring society but help ourselves to come closer to understanding the purpose of our lives. The rescuers taught us that it is the individuals, not the institutions who have souls. If the rescuers serve to remind us that each of us can make a difference, they will have saved more than lives; they will have saved our future.
Marie and David Inowlocki in 1988
At least eighty Jewish boys regard Madame Taquet as having saved their lives. David Inowlocki is one of the survivors.