We Are Tomodachi Winter 2018

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26Imparting the Spirit of Peace and Humanity to Future GenerationsJapan has a number of museums that preserve the lessons of history and teach each new generation the importance of peace and humanity. One of these is the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall. In 1940, crowds of Jewish people, fleeing persecution and death at the hands of the Nazis, flocked to their only hope for help, the Japanese consulate in Lithuania. They begged to be granted transit visas, even though they did not meet the official requirements. Sugihara, the diplo-mat assigned to the consulate, out of pity for his fellow humans and at risk of his career, disregarded the policy of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Working feverishly and with minimal rest until forced to close the consulate, Sugihara painstakingly wrote out visas that saved about 6,000 lives.Sugihara’s hometown, Yaotsu, nestled in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture, opened the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall in 2000 to honor its native hero and impart his spirit of peace and humanity to future generations. Many visitors from Japan and abroad, including about 2,000 from Israel, come here each year to pay respects and to learn. Yaotsu-cho Elementary School students participate in annual theatrical productions re-enacting Sugihara’s courageous stand for his fellow humans. One student declared, “I am proud to know the spirit of humanity I learned from Chiune; I want to live it out. We have the responsibility to continue in his legacy when we grow up, and to share it with others.”According to museum director Daisaku Kunieda, “Sugihara did not save those 6,000 lives all by himself, but was part of a ‘chain of goodwill’ that includes all those who helped the refugees along their way.” Leaving Lithuania, the Jewish refugees took the 9,258 km (5,753 mi) Trans-Siberian Railway to Vladivostok, and then crossed the Sea of Japan to the Japanese port city of Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture.To the weary refugees, “Seeing Tsuruga was like catch-ing a glimpse of paradise after waking from a nightmare.” The Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum (Tsuruga City, Fukui Pref.)The Holocaust Education Center (Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Pref.)The Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall (Yaotsu, Gifu Pref.)