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In the course of human existence, many people are tested. Only a few soar as eagles and achieve greatness with simple acts of kindness. This is the story of a man and his wife who choose not to side with evil but to listen to the kindness of their hearts. Chiune Sugihara was born in Japan on January 1st, 1900. From an early age, Chiune developed a deep empathy towards his fellow man. His tendency to follow his heart became evident when he purposely flunked a medical school entrance exam. Instead of following his father’s wishes, he enrolled in Wasdea University, Tokyo. While in college, he was recruited by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. He was assigned to Harbin, Manchuria, where he became proficient in the Russian language, and valuable in the ministry. Because of his language and organization skills, Chiune and his family were sent to Lithuania. There he worked in the Japanese Embassy. While living in Lithuania, Chiune met a young boy named Solly Ganor. Solly, who was concerned about Polish Jews entering Lithuania, gave most of his money to the Jewish refugees. Having given away all of his money, he went to his aunt’s shop to borrow some money. In his aunt's store he met Japanese Consul Chiune Sugihara. Sugihara had overheard the conversation and gave Solly two lit. Impulsively, the young boy invited the Consul to his family’s celebration of the first night of Chanukah. The surprised and delighted Consul gratefully accepted the young boy's offer, and he and his wife Yukiko attended their first Jewish Chanukah celebration. While at the celebration Chiune saw that Jews were no different from other people. Yes, he agreed that their religion was strange but he loved the closeness of their family. In 1940, Polish Jews were flooding into Lithuania. The German Army had begun advancing west into Russia. The Jews were sandwiched in between the Russians and the Nazis. They decided that if they could get permission into the Japan then they could board upon a boat that would stop in the Dutch islands, then on to the Caribbean. Chiune and his wife had three children and lived in a peaceful home in Kanus. But, in late July, their low-key existence was disrupted by the hundreds of Jewish refugees demanding entrance to the Consulate for transit visas. These visas could help them escape the Holocaust. Chiune Sugihara wired his government three times for permission to issue visas to the Jewish refugees. Three times he was denied. He said that the Japanese government didn’t understand that these Jewish people were only different in their religion- not their thought process. They didn’t understand that it was the Nazis that were murdering children and families only because of the way they thought. He just didn’t think that it was right. So, defying the direct orders of the Japanese government, and with his wife’s support, he decided to issue the life saving visas. In less than one month he had issued 2,000 visas, saving over 6,000 lives. He worked long hours, writing each visa out by hand. But those sleepless nights were worth it. Today, the descendants of the survivors number over 100,000. No one knows how they found out. But when the Japanese Foreign Ministry caught Chiune in the act of handing out the visas- they wanted to give him the death penalty. But because they still needed Chiune’s language and organization skills in the worst of times, decided to postpone disciplinary action and reassign Chiune to several other posts in eastern Asia. In 1968, a survivor finally located Chiune after long years of searching. For the first time, Chiune realized that the Jews he helped actually survived. In 1985, he was recognized by the State of Israel, receiving the Righteous Among the Nations award from Yad Vashem. He was the only Asian to have won this honor. In 1986, Chiune passed away peacefully in his home near Tokyo. It is in the account of a man in great danger that chose to do the right thing. Thought his life, Chiune consistently followed a humane path when making decisions that saved people’s lives. In the defiance of the orders in and indifferent government, Chiune risked his career, his livelihood, and his future to save the lives of more than 6,000 Jews. This selfless act resulted in the second largest amount of Jews rescued from the Nazis. Forty-five years after he signed the visas, he was asked why he did it. He liked to give two reasons: “They were human beings and they needed help. I’m glad that I found the strength to make the decision to give it to them.” He was fond of saying, “I may have disobeyed my government, but if I had done nothing then I’d been disobeying God.” And so as many survivors that have been helped by Chiune Sugihara would say: “Live on Sugihara, we will never forget you.”
Chiune Sugihara By Hannah Whitley "Visas For Life"
Live on Sempo Sugihara, we will Never Forget You!
