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Sugihara, a Conspiracy of Kindness
Continuing with my documentary reviews:
Sugihara, a Conspiracy of Kindness: a PBS documentary on Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat who issued thousands of visas to Jewish refugees in Lithuania, against the orders of his own government, so that they could flee Europe and escape the Nazis. (I remember there was also a Japanese TV movie called 6,000 Visas for Life starring Takashi Sorimachi as Sugihara that aired on the local foreign language station years ago. I still have it on a VHS tape somewhere and will have to see if I can find it.)
It's a remarkable story, containing interviews with Sugihara's family and some of the people that he saved. Solly Ganor in particular was memorable: he met Sugihara as a young boy, when he went to his aunt's shop to beg some money from her to go to the movies. Sugihara happened to be there and offered him some money, but young Solly said he couldn't accept a gift from a stranger, so Sugihara replied that Solly should think of him as an uncle. Solly then said that since Sugihara was his uncle, he should come over to their house for the Hannukah dinner they were having. Others might have laughed off the child's impulsive invitation, but Sugihara did indeed turn up for dinner, along with his wife.
Sugihara befriended the family and eventually warned Ganor's father that they should leave the country. However, even with one of Sugihara's visas, they weren't able to make it out of Lithuania. They were sent to an internment camp, and Solly narrowly escaped being killed when the US soldiers liberated the camp on the same day that he and others were about to be executed. He was startled to see that the soldiers had features like Sugihara's and realized that they were Japanese. They saw his confusion and laughed and said that they were Japanese Americans. Recounting the story, he said what a remarkable coincidence it was that he was befriended by a Japanese man, and rescued by Japanese Americans. His story can be found on this page of the PBS website, where there are links to a video clip and a transcript of his interview.
Sugihara paid a heavy price for his actions: he lost the diplomatic position that he loved, and was reduced to working odd jobs to make a living, until he was able to get a job working for an export company in Russia, where he lived apart from his family for many years. And one of his sons died shortly after the family's return to Japan--his mother believes that his health was weakened by the time they spent in a Russian internment camp where they had been taken into custody after Sugihara had been reassigned to another post. The warm, friendly man that Ganor remembers was replaced by a stern one who rarely smiled or laughed, according to his children and grandchildren. Still, one of his granddaughters recalls that he had a sense of humor, though she was too young to understand the odd jokes that he would tell. She says that when he died, she had just become old enough to have real conversations with him and understand what a kind man he was, and wishes that she had been able to spend more time with him.
There is also a book by Hillel Levine called In Search of Sugihara that examines Sugihara's life in more detail. The book is the result of the author's quest to understand why Sugihara would risk his career and his family's safety to save those refugees against the orders of his own government. Surely there must have been some hidden motive, such as a secret conspiracy or a close personal connection to someone Jewish? But although Levine's research paints a very detailed and complex portrait of Sugihara, he remains frustrated that Sugihara's motives remain elusive. In the end, there seems to be no answer other than that Sugihara was a good man who did what he believed was right. While I know that Sugihara's actions were extraordinary and not many people would have the courage to do what he did, I found myself wondering why Levine found that so hard to believe, and at times seemed almost angry not to find some hidden ulterior motive.
Still, it was a very interesting book, and recommended reading if you want to learn more about Sugihara.
***
I had meant to include my review of Jodorowsky's Dune, but it didn't really seem right to post it alongside the real-life heroism of Sugihara, so I will save that for a later post.
Sugihara, a Conspiracy of Kindness: a PBS documentary on Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat who issued thousands of visas to Jewish refugees in Lithuania, against the orders of his own government, so that they could flee Europe and escape the Nazis. (I remember there was also a Japanese TV movie called 6,000 Visas for Life starring Takashi Sorimachi as Sugihara that aired on the local foreign language station years ago. I still have it on a VHS tape somewhere and will have to see if I can find it.)
It's a remarkable story, containing interviews with Sugihara's family and some of the people that he saved. Solly Ganor in particular was memorable: he met Sugihara as a young boy, when he went to his aunt's shop to beg some money from her to go to the movies. Sugihara happened to be there and offered him some money, but young Solly said he couldn't accept a gift from a stranger, so Sugihara replied that Solly should think of him as an uncle. Solly then said that since Sugihara was his uncle, he should come over to their house for the Hannukah dinner they were having. Others might have laughed off the child's impulsive invitation, but Sugihara did indeed turn up for dinner, along with his wife.
Sugihara befriended the family and eventually warned Ganor's father that they should leave the country. However, even with one of Sugihara's visas, they weren't able to make it out of Lithuania. They were sent to an internment camp, and Solly narrowly escaped being killed when the US soldiers liberated the camp on the same day that he and others were about to be executed. He was startled to see that the soldiers had features like Sugihara's and realized that they were Japanese. They saw his confusion and laughed and said that they were Japanese Americans. Recounting the story, he said what a remarkable coincidence it was that he was befriended by a Japanese man, and rescued by Japanese Americans. His story can be found on this page of the PBS website, where there are links to a video clip and a transcript of his interview.
Sugihara paid a heavy price for his actions: he lost the diplomatic position that he loved, and was reduced to working odd jobs to make a living, until he was able to get a job working for an export company in Russia, where he lived apart from his family for many years. And one of his sons died shortly after the family's return to Japan--his mother believes that his health was weakened by the time they spent in a Russian internment camp where they had been taken into custody after Sugihara had been reassigned to another post. The warm, friendly man that Ganor remembers was replaced by a stern one who rarely smiled or laughed, according to his children and grandchildren. Still, one of his granddaughters recalls that he had a sense of humor, though she was too young to understand the odd jokes that he would tell. She says that when he died, she had just become old enough to have real conversations with him and understand what a kind man he was, and wishes that she had been able to spend more time with him.
There is also a book by Hillel Levine called In Search of Sugihara that examines Sugihara's life in more detail. The book is the result of the author's quest to understand why Sugihara would risk his career and his family's safety to save those refugees against the orders of his own government. Surely there must have been some hidden motive, such as a secret conspiracy or a close personal connection to someone Jewish? But although Levine's research paints a very detailed and complex portrait of Sugihara, he remains frustrated that Sugihara's motives remain elusive. In the end, there seems to be no answer other than that Sugihara was a good man who did what he believed was right. While I know that Sugihara's actions were extraordinary and not many people would have the courage to do what he did, I found myself wondering why Levine found that so hard to believe, and at times seemed almost angry not to find some hidden ulterior motive.
Still, it was a very interesting book, and recommended reading if you want to learn more about Sugihara.
***
I had meant to include my review of Jodorowsky's Dune, but it didn't really seem right to post it alongside the real-life heroism of Sugihara, so I will save that for a later post.
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