My Moral Hero

I have always been intrigued by figures during the Jewish Holocaust who risked their lives to stop the tragic genocide. While there were many heroes and martyrs for this ethical cause, one man, in particular, stands out to me as a compelling “moral hero” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The election of Hitler as chancellor in 1930 saw a politically split and economically-desperate Germany. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a staunch advocate against Hitler from the beginning. Soon after Hitler’s election, Bonhoeffer criticized the Fuhrer and his supporters on the radio. Bonhoeffer, a Christian leader, also raised his concern about the systematic persecution of Germany’s Jewish population (Schlingensiepen 120). In his essay, “The Church and the Jewish Question,” Bonhoeffer questioned if Germany, under Hitler, would remain a civilized nation or become barbaric. Bonhoeffer said the Church should not keep out of politics if the state abrogates basic human rights (Schlingensiepen 121). Bonhoeffer worked to convince members of the Church to publicly reject the Nazi ideology. The disagreement concerning the Nazis within the Church led to Bonhoeffer helping to form the Confessing Church, which staunchly stood against Nazi ideology and the German Christians who supported it (Pettinger).

In April 1943, after a series of conflicts with the Nazi regime, Bonhoeffer was arrested and detained at Tegel Military prison (Schlingensiepen 139). While there, Bonhoeffer smuggled out messages and writings to his colleagues concerning the defeat of the Nazis, including the murder of their leader. In July 1944, Bonhoeffer was transported to a maximum security prison following a failed bomb attempt. Bonhoeffer was later moved to Buchenwald concentration camp and then to F...

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...pation in the coup could lead to his own execution.

In learning about Bonhoeffer and his choice to take a moral stand against a cruel ideology, I learned that sometimes it’s right and moral to do what society considers the “wrong” thing, and sometimes being “moral” means sacrificing yourself. It may not always result in death; it could result in the loss of friends or popularity for making an unpopular decision. Regardless of the consequences, we should always strive to uphold morality like Dietrich Bonhoeffer did in the face of evil. While others may consider him to be morally complex or immoral, he is my moral hero.

Works Cited

Pettinger, Tejvan. "Biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer", Oxford,

26 Nov. 2010. Web.

Schlingensiepen, Ferdinand. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945: Martyr, Thinker, Man of Resistance. London: T&T Clark, 2010. Print.