The Jewish Woman Behind the “Curaçao Visa” During World War II, Chiune Sugihara saved many Jewish refugees with “Visas for Life.” This incredible feat is well-known. But it is less widely known that there was a Dutch diplomat who, along with Sugihara, issued life-saving visas to rescue Jews fleeing the Nazis. In November 2017, we […]
Author: akira-kitade
Looking for the ‘Angel of Curaçao’: The Unknown Hero of Jewish Refugees
Jan Zwartendijk on the left and Chiune Sugihara. The picture was taken at Holocaust Museum at Vilnius. Last of two parts (Part 1: Japanese Visas That Saved Jewish Refugees Are Just Half of the Story) I wondered why Jan Zwartendijk’s achievement was not known even in his own country. One of the reasons is […]
Japanese Visas That Saved Jewish Refugees Are Just Half of the Story
Jan Zwartendijk First of two parts The achievements of the Honorary Consul of the Netherlands in Lithuania are buried in history. Chiune Sugihara is known to have saved the lives of 6,000 Jewish refugees from persecution in Nazi Germany by issuing Japan transit visas based on his own judgment. This humanitarian action by the […]