Descendants of man who saved thousands of Jews in WWII meet growing families he saved
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's a story generations in the making. It began back in World War II when a Japanese diplomat risked everything to save the lives of thousands of Jewish people.
Fast forward to 2024, when here in Chicago, his relatives met people who are alive today because of his courage.
Oriha Sugihara and Richard Salomon live a world apart, but their histories will forever bind them together. Oriha's great-grandfather was Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat stationed in Lithuania with his family as World War II was exploding.
"The compassion of helping someone, it's the philosophy within our family, so natural thing to do," said Oriha.
"But for him, we wouldn't be here," said Rick.
He saved the lives of more than 2,100 Jews by issuing transit visas that allowed them to leave Eastern Europe to safety.
Rick's father and uncle were two of the lucky ones who got those documents.
"We were blessed, and he dared to do what was right," Rick said.
It was a decision that cost Chiune and his family dearly--then and years later. But his granddaughter Madoka Sugihara told CBS 2 through a translator, "For him, to help other people and to be of service to others was of the utmost importance."
The story goes back to Kaunas, Lithuania in 1940.
"My grandfather used to love to play the piano, and especially he loved to play Beethoven, so he would play late into the evening," said Madoka.
But early one July morning, something happened that would change the Sugiharas' lives forever. Chiune's wife, Yukiko, wrote about it all in a book.
"I could not comprehend the sight before me," Oriha read from the book. "A crowd of people in front of our house. I will always remember their faces and expressions. These people were terrified."
They were Jews facing certain death at the hands of the Nazis. They pleaded with Chiune to give them transit visas to leave Lithuania. They needed to head east through Soviet territory and Japan, where the visas could be extended while they searched for countries that would take them in. Many hoped to get to the Dutch-controlled island of Curacao, where no entry visas were required.
Chiune cabled Japanese officials for permission, saying, "As a fellow human being, I cannot refuse their requests. Please permit me to issue visas to them."
Three times he was told, "Absolutely not."
He did it anyway.
"He said he had no choice but to do it. He had to account to a higher authority--his own God," said Rick.
For a solid month, Chiune, helped by his family, worked tirelessly day and night, signing and stamping visas. They were not legal, but amazingly, no one caught it.
What he did in the end cost him his job and his livelihood.
"He had already made peace with himself that this was not going to be the greatest thing for his career," Madoka said.
"At one point, he was penniless on the streets of Tokyo," said Rick.
"There was no doubt the decision he had made was worth every hardship he endured," the book reads.
Only late in his life did Chiune learn how many people he had saved.
"I have a daughter," said Rick. "She's one year old. She will live a full life, God willing, and she'll have her own family, and that's all because of Mr. Sugihara."
Rick's son, Mark Salomon, belongs to yet another generation of Sugihara survivors. They have made it their mission to keep the story alive. And that's why these documents, visas, records, photos, and more are part of a permanent Sugihara exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie.
"Sugihara's story demonstrates the diversity of Peo, who took a stand. What we call upstanders, as opposed to bystanders, who made the choice to do nothing," said Leah Rauch.
Rick, a museum co-founder, sees his own history on the wall. His father was issued visa number 299. His uncle was issued number 27.
"The Talmud teaches that saving one life means saving humanity. He directly saved about 6,000 individuals. He signed about 2,138 visas, but many were entire families," said Rick.
"If it were not for the righteous acts of your grandfather and great-grandfather, I would not be on this stage."
That brings the story to a night in late February at the Holocaust Museum's humanitarian awards dinner.
"Consul General Sugihara dared to do what was right."
Madoka and Oriha received an award honoring Chiune. Joining them on stage were descendants of just some of the people Chiune saved, scores of people who never would have been born had it not been for him.
"With me this evening are four generations of Sugihara visa recipients from age 92 years to 12 weeks old," Rick said on stage.
"That I'm still able to become friends with the people and the descendants of the people he saved is the thing I hold the most pride in," said Madoka.
"Mr. Sugihara's gift will continue to grow. It's like planting a single tree and getting an entire forest," said Mark. "He was the person who looked around him and said no one else is going to do anything, so I will. That is the most beautiful thing, and he gifted countless people with life."
Chiune Sugihara died in 1986. Two years before his death, he became the first Japanese citizen to be recognized as "righteous among the nations" by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel.
