Chiune Sugihara - Righteous Among Nations (Part Three, Final)

A Japanese Who Made a Difference for Israel

PART THREE / FINAL

Khen Lim

(above) Chiune and Yukiko Sugihara with family friends at their Kaunas residence
Image source: collections.ushmm.org

In the third and final segment of the Chiune Sugihara story, we follow the world in finally discovering and acknowledging his works.

We hope you've enjoyed reading about him.



Overdue Recognition

It would be many years before someone took notice of Chiune’s lifesaving work but it wasn’t his own government. Living a humble and quiet life, the hero who saved thousands had assumed to simply have seeped into the cracks. No matter what the ministry reports may or may not have cited of his courageous humanitarian work, there did not appear to be any effort in recognising them.

In fact many of those who survived because of Chiune had attempted on many occasions to search him out but when they sought the assistance of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, they were stonewalled. Either they resisted to help or they had no idea who Chiune Sugihara was.

And of course the man himself hadn’t helped matters – he kept his achievements to himself and his wife so close to their chests, not to be heard in the outside world. Whatever that he had done to literally save thousands was now but a distant twinkle of a memory; so remote that it could all have been nothing but a dream with a nice ending.



Image source: visasforlife.org

In 1968, all of that began to change when the economic attaché to the Embassy of Israel in Japan, Jehoshua Nishri, together with one of Chiune’s beneficiaries, finally managed to track him down.

In his teens in Poland during the 40’s, Nishri had already heard of Chiune’s heroics, all of which were cherished by the Jewish community then and now. When they both finally met in person, it was only the first time that the ex-Japanese diplomat came to understand the gravity of his bold moves almost thirty years earlier. He had no idea if there really were any survivors for all that he had done. By coming face to face with Nishri, the impact of what he had achieved in the name of morality and mankind must have been unthinkably emotional for both but chiefly for Chiune.

(above) Travel document of Zerach Warheftig

Image source: yadvashem.org

In the following year, Chiune was welcomed to Israel, greeted warmly and gratefully by a very appreciative Israeli government and hordes of happy Israelis, setting the stage for massive endorsements by his beneficiaries to have him included in the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. Also among those who were there to meet up with him was also Zerach Warheftig who went on to become Israel’s Minister of Religion. Zerach was among the thousands Chiune’s visas had saved.

(above) Sugihara with Zerach Warhaftig at Embassy of Israel, Tokyo, 1985

Image source: collections.yadvashem.org

Almost twenty years later, in 1985, and having accumulated endless testimonials to his deeds worldwide, Chiune Sugihara was finally inducted into the Memorial in a ceremony conducted in Tokyo where the Embassy of Israel was. In granting him the exclusive honour of Righteous Among Nations (in Hebrew: חסידי אומות העולם‎), the government of Israel bore official recognition for his exemplary humanitarian work in saving so many thousands of Israelis and their families that were now alive to tell the tale; a recognition that included Chiune’s entire family being given perpetual Israeli citizenships.

A park in Jerusalem was also named in his honour and a special monument was created on a hill. At the same time a cedar grove was planted in Chiune’s name at Yad Vashem. Unfortunately he was too ill to make the trip – his wife and son, Hiroki, represented him in Israel in receiving the honour. In fact one of his other sons graduated from the Hebrew University and spoke Hebrew very proficiently.

Looking back at the days of their lives in Lithuania, Chiune and Yukiko were caught in an unavoidable maelstrom. As some might say, damned if you did; damned if you didn’t. To have witnessed people who were simply so desperate to want to live, they understood that anxious moment teetering between life and death and yet they knew they would have to take matters into their own hands because their own government could not and did not.

“People in Tokyo were not united,” Chiune said.

“I felt it silly to deal with them. So I made up my mind not to wait for their reply. I knew that somebody would surely complain about me in the future. But I myself thought this would be the right thing to do.”



(above) The Sugiharas in traditional costumes
Image source: collections.ushmm.org

Yukiko, Chiune’s wife, recalled how she was taken aback by the Book of Lamentations authored by the prophet Jeremiah and how it became the cornerstone for her husband to issue the visas in order to save the Jews. When Moshe Zupnik suggested that she and her husband could have lost their lives saving others, he replied, “I do it just because I have pity on the people. They want to get out so I let them have the visas.”

“There is nothing wrong in saving many people’s lives… The spirit of humanity, philanthropy… neighbourly friendship… with this spirit, I ventured to do what I did, confronting this most difficult situation and because of this reason, I went ahead with redoubled courage.”

Chiune Sugihara passed away on July 31 1986 in Kamakura at a hospital, a year after he was so highly honoured by the government of Israel. Yet despite his renowned status among the Jewish diaspora, he remained an insignificant retired government servant in Japan. It was only when a huge Jewish delegation including the Ambassador of Israel arrived at his funeral that his neighbours finally understood the enormity that was the man himself.

(above) Tree-planting ceremony with Lithuania's then president Valdas Adamkus with Chiune's widow Yukiko in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2001

Image source: en.wikipedia.org

Posthumous honours came flooding from outside Japan. In Kaunas and Vilnius, Lithuania where his heroics were most apparent, he was honoured with a street named after him – Sugihara Street in 1991 as part of the country’s celebration of independence. 

(above) The 'Hill of Humanity' at Yaotsu in honour of Chiune Sugihara

Image source: academicendeavor.net

In the following year (1992), the people of the town of Yaotsu, Chiune’s place of birth, erected the Chiune Sugihara Memorial in his honour.

This was followed by an official honouring by the Japanese Government on the centenary of his birth in 2000. Two years earlier, Yukiko had travelled to Jerusalem to be met by survivors of her husband’s bravery. Tearful and forever grateful, they showed her the yellowed visas that Chiune had signed for them.

(above) A memorial to Chiune Sugihara in Vilnius, Lithuania

Image source: earth.google.com

An asteroid discovered in 1993 was also honourably named – Asteroid 25893 Sugihara. 

(above) Temple Emeth memorial for Chiune Sugihara

Image source: templeemeth.org

The town of Kaunas now also have the Sugihara House Museum while there is also a ‘Sugihara Memorial Garden’ within the Conservative Synagogue Temple Emeth in Chestnut Hill in Massachusetts, USA in which the Annual Sugihara Memorial Concert is held.

(above) Possibly the Sugihara House Museum in Kaunas, Lithuania

Image source: greensprout.co.kr

In 1994 Chiune’s story finally had the airing it so deserved. After years of ‘selected recognition’ mainly within narrow specifics, the public began to understand the significance of his works by way of a poignant black-and-white motion picture called ‘Schindler’s List’ where Steven Spielberg brought the rescue efforts of the German Oskar Schindler to life. Because of the similarities that could be drawn between Schindler and Chiune, the horrors of the Holocaust and the attempts of these two men to do their part to save them finally became a reality.

(above) Memorial of Chiune Sugihara in Los Angeles, USA

Image source: earth.google.com-

In 2002 a memorial to the great man was built in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo with dedications from the consuls of Japan, Israel and Lithuania. With Chiune having passed away by then, his son, Chiaki was present to inaugurate the event in the presence of the city officials of Los Angeles. Entitled, ‘Chiune Sugihara Memorial, Hero of the Holocaust,’ the memorial features a life-size representation of the late Japanese diplomat seated on a bench with an exit visa in his hand. A quote from the Talmud reads, “He who saves one life, saves the entire world.”

In 1996 the President of Poland awarded Chiune the Commander’s Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland and eleven years later, came the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta, also from the Polish nation. The Life Saving Cross of Lithuania came in 1993.

A stoic remembrance

Some say that because of Chiune, more than 80,000 descendants owe their existence today to this humble and God-fearing man who never once demanded any recognition for all that he had done based on his Christian conscience.

  

(above) Solly Ganor in 2005 and then in 1944

Image sources: pbs.org; collections.ushmm.org

Zamira Chenn in her article about Chiune in the Jewish Post relates to an incident when she met one of the survivors by the name of Solly Ganor who was living with his family in Israel. By the time they met, Solly was already 80 years of age. A writer and author of many books on the Holocaust, Solly had gone across the world to tell his story about the tragedy.

In their phone conversation together, Zamira asked Solly if he could retell the tale of how he met Chiune for the first time. That would have been when Solly was only 11 years old.

“I remember that day very clearly,” said Solly. It was at his aunt’s gourmet store in Kaunas, Lithuania and Hanukkah was just around the corner.

“As you know, it is a Jewish custom to give children money – small change (Hanukkah Gelt) – as a gift during Hannukah and that year, all the money I was given I had donated to the Polish Jewish refugees.”

At that time, Solly remembered that there was a Laurel and Hardy movie being screened in town but he couldn’t afford the fare. And so he approached his dear aunt, Hanushka, for some money.

During then Chiune was stood in the store and he overheard the conversation between the aunt and her nephew. Not someone they knew personally at that time, the Japanese diplomat offered to pay for Solly’s trip to the movies.

In return, the stunned little Jewish boy just stood there and stared at the impeccably dressed Asian, not exactly knowing how to respond to his kindness.

“Sorry but I cannot take money from strangers,” he said.

Chiune smiled and replied, “Well, consider me your uncle for the holiday… then you are safe to take the money.”

“He had such a kind look in his eyes, his whole face showed friendliness and the way he was speaking made me feel so comfortable with him,” Solly recalled.

So the little lad took Chiune’s money and smiled back at him.

“Okay but if you are my uncle, why don’t you come to our Hanukkah party on Saturday?”

The suddenness of the invitation took Hanushka by surprise. A little chuffed and embarrassed at the same time, she turned her attention to Chiune.

“Well if you are interested, please do come,” she said to which he did accept the offer, arriving at the Ganor’s residence together with Yukiko and their children that fateful Saturday, much to the surprise of everyone there.

Solly remembered that Saturday very well for it was now a memorable part of his life.

“It was a festive night. Everyone was warm and friendly. We lit the candles, my uncle played the harmonica and we sang Hanukkah songs. Between the eating and the drinking, everybody was telling stories and at one point, Mr Rosenblatt – a Polish refugee who was staying with my family – started talking about what was happening in Poland under the German occupation… how the Nazis were slaughtering Jews.”

Solly recalled Mr Rosenblatt broke down in tears as he described the bombing of his home that took the lives of his wife and two children. The impact of that story was undeniable and unforgettable. He remembered that it hit Chiune and his wife particularly hard.

The following day, Solly went to visit the Japanese Consulate with his father and witnessed Chiune placing a call to the Russian officials, getting their consent to issue transit visas so that the Jews could cross the Russian borders. In the process, this was a Hanukkah miracle in the making.

The rest as they say, is history.

The story behind the story

(above) Chiune Sugihara and his family at the consulate residence

Image source: db.yadvashem.org

The Sugihara story is well known only to those who follow closely the Jewish rescuing efforts during World War Two. To most Israelis, he is already a hero, much revered and much admired for his incredible boldness.

In the world we live in, there aren’t many Sugiharas or Schindlers and for that reason, I felt compelled that we try to understand and know who they are. And for that brief moment in compiling information from various parts of the Internet, I lived through scenes of how the story played out with Chiune and his wife, Yukiko, frantically doing all they could to save the Jews. In my mind, it was nothing but harrowing escapes, gripping fear and lives that were lived on a tightrope between survival and death.

I knew it was a story that had to be told and retold for many of us to appreciate and to not forget those who did their part in doing God’s work. And Chiune Sugihara was one of them.

Note

For the fuller story by Zamira Chenn at The Jewish Post, click here. You can also visit her official website here.

Further Reading

“Visas for Life”; Yukiko Sugihara; translated to English by Hiroki Sugihara; Edu-Comm, San Francisco; 1995 (an official website is also available here)

“Visas pour 6,000 vies”; Yukiko Sugihara; traduit par Karine Chesneau; ed. Philippe Picquier; 1995

“The Gift’; Anne Akabori (for more details of the publication, go here)

An interview with Solly Ganor by PBS (to read more, click here)