Asian Heroes of the Holocaust

The Holocaust was an unforgettable tragedy that echoed around the world throughout its reign of terror prior to and during World War II. Its brutality was horrendous and its memory continues to be a permanent stain on the consciousness of humanity itself. But with great tragedy came great heroism in the few who stood up against it, whether they were members of allied nations or even hostile nations at the time. And the countries of Asia were no exception to this. The Righteous Among the Nations is a title given to all non-Jews who risked their lives, during the Holocaust, to save the lives of Jews from the Nazi extermination. Out of all those who received this honor, three of them were Asian and below are their stories.

Chiune Sugihara

Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat who was living with his wife and children in Lithuania around the time that the Holocaust was at its full swing. In late July of 1940, hundreds of Jewish refugees appeared at his doorstep asking for transit visas to escape German persecution. When this occurred, the Japanese government forbade Chiune to issue visas without adhering to strict protocol, which could have easily delayed the issuing of all visas indefinitely. But in defiance of his government's order and with the help of other individuals, Chiune issued as many transit visas as he can resulting in the saving of over 6,000 lives. Chiune is the first and only Japanese to have received the Righteous Among the Nations honor.

Ho Feng Shan