The Japanese diplomat who saved 6,000 Jews destined for the death camps

[LongTomH]

Most Americans know of Oskar Schindler, the German businessman who saved more than 1,200 lives during the Holocaust by hiring Jews to work in his factories and fought Nazi efforts to remove them.

But fewer know about Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat who disobeyed his government's orders and issued visas that allowed 6,000 Jews to escape from Nazi-occupied territories via Japan.

On Sunday, as Holocaust survivors and descendants of survivors observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a growing and widespread community of Jews -- linked by their gratitude toward Sugihara for saving them or family members -- remembers a man once forgotten.

"Without him, many of the most accomplished minds of our world would not exist today. His legacy produced doctors, bankers, lawyers, authors, politicians, even the first Orthodox Jewish Rhodes Scholar," said Richard Salomon, a board member of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. The museum holds artifacts from Sugihara as part of its permanent collection, and will honor him on Sunday along with others who saved Jews during the Holocaust.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/chiune-sugihara-japanese--jews-holocaust_n_2528666.html

[struggle4progress]

1. ... On a summer morning in late July 1940, Consul Sempo Sugihara and his family awakened to a crowd

of Polish Jewish refugees gathered outside the consulate ... Chiune Sugihara wired his government three times for permission to issue visas to the Jewish refugees. Three times he was denied ... On one hand, he was bound by the traditional obedience he had been taught all his life. On the other hand, he was a samurai who had been told to help those who were in need. He knew that if he defied the orders of his superiors, he might be fired and disgraced, and would probably never work for the Japanese government again ... For 29 days, from July 31 to August 28, 1940, Mr. and Mrs. Sugihara sat for endless hours writing and signing visas by hand. Hour after hour, day after day, for these three weeks, they wrote and signed visas. They wrote over 300 visas a day, which would normally be one month's worth of work for the consul ... Consul Chiune Sugihara, age 86, died on July 31, 1986 ...

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/sugihara.html

[Angry Dragon]

2. Thanks for the post ............

one can learn many things on DU

[freshwest]

3. Never heard of this man. I love him and his wife reading this. Great people in a terrible time.

[Shankapotomus]

4. Documentary here:

[LongTomH]

7. Thank you for posting this!

I'm watching part 2 now.

[1monster]

5. I've read about this man and his family. There are good people everywhere, but few have

the courage to do what these people did.

[AsahinaKimi]

6. sugoi

eom.

[LongTomH]

8. I just Googled up the meaning of 'sugoi'

Domo arigato, AsahiniKimi-san!

[AsahinaKimi]

12. dou itashimashite.

Tom san.

[samsingh]

9. kick

[jsr]

10. Recommend

[Behind the Aegis]

11. This is a link to an old DU thread and article about him.

'Japanese Schindler' who saved Lithuanian Jews is honoured

This post, I am aware of this, also has links to others who did similar things.

Never forget.

[LeftishBrit]

13. k&r