Sugihara Chiune: Solly Ganor Remembers His Encounter With Sugihara in 1939

Sugihara Chiune was a Japanese diplomat who risked his career to save thousands of Jewish refugees during World War II.

Fig. Solly Ganor. This is a schematic picture. For the actual image, please visit the following PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) link.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sugihara/readings/ganor.html

In reference [1], Solly Ganor recalls his encounter with Sugihara when he was a 13-year-old boy in Kaunas, Lithuania. The entire story vividly captures Sugihara and his wife, and the moments he describes align with what I’ve learned about Sugihara and his wife. Below, I will cite some of the interesting parts from [1].

During the Hanukkah period of 1939, Solly was at his aunt’s gourmet shop to ask for some money to go see a movie. It was there that his aunt introduced him to Sugihara. In the description below, “he” refers to Sugihara. I have removed several redundant symbols.

Solly: “He looked at me and I felt very comfortable with him. There was a certain aura of kindness about him; I don’t know how to explain. You know, as a child, I guess you feel these things more. Your senses are more acute. So I liked him immediately.”

“I told my aunt, ‘I want to go to the movies.’ She says ‘Oh, okay.’ So she went to get some money. And Sugihara whipped out this money, and he said, ‘So you’re going to see a movie and this is your holiday, little boy? Well, I’ll be your uncle for the holiday.’”

I was kind of surprised, obviously. I didn’t know whether to accept or not, but, finally, I took it. I felt comfortable with him. And I said, “Thank you very much.” But then I had this crazy idea. And I said — a very impulsive thought — I said, “You know, if you’re my uncle, why don’t you come to our Hanukkah party on Saturday?”

He said, “I would be interested, actually.” He had never been to a holiday like this, sort of party, Hanukkah party, probably heard of all these things before, because he was in Harbin and he was in touch with Jewish people, I assume. So that was that.

[at the party] “Mr. Rosenblat cornered Sugihara, and he was talking to him about getting a visa to Japan. My father was really embarrassed. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘… this is a silly idea. Why do you bother a guest with your requests, which have no foundation? Japan, of all things! What do you want [with] Japan, … Hitler’s allies?’” And Sugihara, I guess … he had the same reaction, really. At that time, I don’t think he even considered such a thing. Because it seemed very impractical, you know. Number one, they wouldn’t let him in Japan, he thought. Number two, why would the Jews go to Japan?”

“With them, [Sugihara spoke] Russian and German, and Mrs. Sugihara spoke German.”

"Mr. Sugihara was a person who I think could fit [himself] into any situation. It was probably part of his job, but he was such a personality. He was a friendly man with a lot of knowledge, and curious. I know, later, he was also coming to many other Jewish families; until he started issuing visas. He was invited by many families in Kaunas.”

"And, of course, they offered him lots of food and cakes. And around 50 years later when I met Mrs. Sugihara in Yaotsu, she said, ‘Oh, I remember your family very well to this day.’ I said, ‘Why?’ She says, ‘I was sick the whole night from the cakes that your aunts and mother fed me.’ The Japanese don’t know how to say ‘No,’ you know.”

Solly has an amazing epilogue. In 1940, he received a visa from Sugihara, but was still not able to flee the country. After the Nazi invasion, young Solly spent three years in the feared Kovno Ghetto and eventually was deported to the Dachau concentration camp. Sugihara could not save him, yet incredibly, Solly did survive the Holocaust and was eventually rescued by Japanese-American soldiers at the war's end [2].

[1] PBS, “Conspiracy of Kindness,” 2005

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sugihara/readings/ganor.html

[2] Ganor, S., “Biography of Solly Ganor, the author of “Light One Candle.”” https://www.sollyganor.com/