This week takes us back to history and the incredible story of Chiune Sugihara, Lithuania’s Oskar Schindler. He was born in Japan, studied English Literature against his father’s wishes and later joined the Foreign Ministry. Whilst serving in China he became an expert on Russian affairs and converted to Orthodox Christianity.
Until the outbreak of World War 2, Lithuania had one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe. Vilnius itself was known as the “Jerusalem of the North” and was a Jewish cultural and religious centre.
In March 1939 when Klaipėda was invaded by the Germans, the 39 year-old Japanese diplomat arrived to the then Lithuanian capital of Kaunas* tasked with reporting on German and Soviet troops movements and running a one-man embassy. Six months later the World was at war. In July 1940 the Nazi war machine advanced upon the rest of Lithuania. The Soviet authorities ordered all diplomats to leave but Sugihara remained with his Dutch counterpart. Aware of what would happen to Kaunas’ tens-of-thousands of Jews when the Nazis took the city they launched an enterprise to help Jews flee the country. The Jews would be able to leave if they had visas for another country. The pair realised it would be possible for them to travel to Dutch colonies in the Caribbean but via Japan, requiring Japanese transit visas.
Sugihara sought permission three times from his seniors in Tokyo but was denied and ordered to leave Lithuania for Berlin. Irrespective of his orders, he remained in Kaunas for four weeks and wrote out visas by hand, processing around 300 a day. His wife is reported to have fed him his meals so that he could keep on writing visas. When he left in September he handed his consular stamp to a refugee to continue to issue visas.
It is estimated that 6000 Jews were saved as a result of Sugihara’s efforts. After the war he was removed from his job for having disobeyed orders.
In June 1941 the Nazi’s broke the Molotov-Ribbentropp Pact and invaded the Lithuanian Soviet. During the Nazi occupation (1941-1944) the mass murder of over 200’000 Jews took place, 94% of the Jewish population. Lithuania was the first European country where mass extermination of the Jews was carried out, mostly by walking them out of the cities and shooting them in mass graves.
Sugihara lived out the rest of his life in relative obscurity until in 1985 he was awarded Israel’s “Righteous Among the Nations” honour. He died in 1986.
*Vilnius being under Polish occupation at the time.
Until the outbreak of World War 2, Lithuania had one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe. Vilnius itself was known as the “Jerusalem of the North” and was a Jewish cultural and religious centre.
In March 1939 when Klaipėda was invaded by the Germans, the 39 year-old Japanese diplomat arrived to the then Lithuanian capital of Kaunas* tasked with reporting on German and Soviet troops movements and running a one-man embassy. Six months later the World was at war. In July 1940 the Nazi war machine advanced upon the rest of Lithuania. The Soviet authorities ordered all diplomats to leave but Sugihara remained with his Dutch counterpart. Aware of what would happen to Kaunas’ tens-of-thousands of Jews when the Nazis took the city they launched an enterprise to help Jews flee the country. The Jews would be able to leave if they had visas for another country. The pair realised it would be possible for them to travel to Dutch colonies in the Caribbean but via Japan, requiring Japanese transit visas.
Sugihara sought permission three times from his seniors in Tokyo but was denied and ordered to leave Lithuania for Berlin. Irrespective of his orders, he remained in Kaunas for four weeks and wrote out visas by hand, processing around 300 a day. His wife is reported to have fed him his meals so that he could keep on writing visas. When he left in September he handed his consular stamp to a refugee to continue to issue visas.
It is estimated that 6000 Jews were saved as a result of Sugihara’s efforts. After the war he was removed from his job for having disobeyed orders.
In June 1941 the Nazi’s broke the Molotov-Ribbentropp Pact and invaded the Lithuanian Soviet. During the Nazi occupation (1941-1944) the mass murder of over 200’000 Jews took place, 94% of the Jewish population. Lithuania was the first European country where mass extermination of the Jews was carried out, mostly by walking them out of the cities and shooting them in mass graves.
Sugihara lived out the rest of his life in relative obscurity until in 1985 he was awarded Israel’s “Righteous Among the Nations” honour. He died in 1986.
*Vilnius being under Polish occupation at the time.
No comments:
Post a Comment