THIS paper
is about a Holocaust hero named Chiune Sugihara. At the beginning of World War
II, Sugihara saved six thousand Jews who were trying to escape Nazi cruelty.
His courage and bravery is now praised by thousands of Jews. Many tributes have
been made to Sugihara, who has been recognized as “Righteous Among
the Nations.”
Veronica
Green |
Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese consul in
Chiune Sugihara was born on
The German invasion of
On a summer morning in late July, 1940, consul Sugihara
awakened to a crowd of Jewish refugees gathered outside the consulate. The refugees
knew that their only path lay to the east and if Sugihara would grant them
Japanese transit visas, they could obtain exit visas and race to possible
freedom. Sugihara needed permission from the Japanese Foreign Ministry;
otherwise, he had no authority to issue out hundreds of visas. But permission
was denied three times by the Japanese government. Now Sugihara was faced with
a difficult decision. He had to make a choice that would probably result in extreme
financial hard-ship for his family in the future. He also knew that if he went
against the orders of his government, he might be fired and disgraced, and
never work for
Sugihara made a decision based on the hundreds of desperate
Jews lined up outside the consulate. He disobeyed the Japanese government and
forged documents to help the refugees to safety (Kelly). Sugihara and his wife
wrote over three hundred visas a day, which would normally be done in one month
by the consul. He did not even stop to eat because he chose not to lose a minute.
People were standing in line in front of his consulate day and night for these
visas. After getting their visas, the refugees lost no time in getting on
trains that took them to
In 1945, the Japanese government informally dismissed
Chiune Sugihara from the diplomatic service and his career was shattered. Then
Sugihara and his family were forced to leave
Forty-five years after signing the visas, he was asked why
he did it. Sugihara liked to give two reasons: one, that
these refugees were human beings, and the other, that they simply needed help.
Sugihara believed in God and chose to disobey his government rather then
disobey God. He deserves to be honored and remembered, and many people,
especially the thousands of Jewish who were rescued, owe their lives to this
Japanese man and his family. Chiune's heroism was left unnoticed for more than
twenty years. Despite the difficult decision he made, he never claimed any type
of reimbursement. Tributes have been made and many Jews are proud of his heroic
efforts. Sugihara has been recognized as Righteous Among
the Nation' by the Yad Vashem Martyrs Remembrance Authority in
Heroes who resisted Nazi cruelty were under lots of
pressure on what decisions they should take to save Jews. If they were caught
they would probably face imprisonment, execution, or be sent to the death
camps. Chiune Sugihara didn't fear any of these punishments. All he wanted was
to rescue desperate Jews who asked for his help. I believe Sugihara's rare
courage came from the morals he learned from his Japanese family, and also from
his strong belief in the universal God of all people. Moreover, his story shows
us how the Holocaust was a nightmare that no one wanted to live through.
Sugihara made the right decision to follow his heart and conscience to do the
right thing. Many more Jews would have died if Sugihara had not been there for
them.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Getting the visas was just the
first part in a long and treacherous journey for those Jews who were fortunate
enough to get the visas. They then traveled thousands of perilous miles through
eastern Europe, Russian, and into
Many of these Jewish refugees
eventually went to
In the early 1980’s, Sugihara
finally went to
RAC
Works Cited:
Foster,
Shaul. "Groups to Remember War Hero Who Saved Jews From
Death." The Salt
www.sltrib.com:80/96/NOV/24/tci/01105245.htm
Kelly,
Jill. "Son of Holocaust Hero Praises His Father's Action." Yale News.
www.yale.edu/ydu/paper/4.15.96storyno.BC.html (
Saul,
Eric. "Visas for Life: The Remarkable Story of Chiune and Yukiko Sugihara."
1995.
www.hooked.net/users/rgreened/Sug.html
(
"Sugihara."
www.holocaustcenter.com:80/sugihara.html
(