Chiune Sugihara sits at a desk in his office in China (1933–34). Later, as the vice-consul for Japan in Lithuania, he issued more than 2,000 transit visas to Japan, which permitted Jewish Europeans to flee the Nazi threat. Courtesy Mr. Nobuki Sugihara
Polish-born Leo Melamed was only eight years old when he landed in Kobe, Japan. After traversing Siberia by train, it was a paradise. In August 1940, Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara had issued Leo’s family a visa that helped them escape Soviet occupation and the Nazi threat.
Just a year later, following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were sent to “relocation camps” in the United States. Even as their family members were imprisoned, some joined the American military and helped liberate Nazi camps. Learn about these unexpected rescuers and the impact one man’s lifesaving act has had on Leo 80 years since he survived the Holocaust.
Speaker
Leo Melamed, Holocaust survivor and author, Man of the Futures: The Story of Leo Melamed and the Birth of Modern Finance
Commentary
Nobuki Sugihara, son of Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara
Moderator
Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Watch live at facebook.com/holocaustmuseum. After the live broadcast, the recording will be available to watch on demand on the Museum's Facebook and YouTube pages.