Chiune Sugihara took a stand in history when he made transit visas for European Jews. Thanks to the Jews, Sugihara was able to understand that they needed help. On July 18, 1940, Sugihara woke up from his slumber to a commotion of a hollering crowd outside his house(Pulvers). About a hundred Jewish people had gathered around his house hoping to get visas from him. He had his servants try to calm them down, but eventually suggested to have the crowd send a party of five representatives to speak with him. The men he spoke with explained that they needed the visas to escape Nazi Europe(Leslie). They had different escape routes, but most consisted of riding the Trans-Siberian railroad to Siberia, boarding at Vladivostok, hoping to land in Tsuruga and off to other destinations(About Chiune). Sugihara agreed to their plan, and sent three cables to the Japanese ambassador in Germany, the Japanese ambassador in Latnia, and to his superior the Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka in Tokyo(Leslie).
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After many anxious days of waiting, the cables with the final answers arrived(Leslie). All of them read that under no circumstances should he hand out visas to anyone who did not meet their qualifications (Pulvers). Sugihara feared to tell the crowd, so he pondered all through the night on whether to aid the Jews or obey his country's wishes. He asked his family for guidance, and they all concluded that he should take the risk to save the hopeful Jews. By July 29, 1940, Sugihara began writing visas rapidly(Pulvers). Each visa had to be handwritten, so it was a very time consuming job, taking 18-20 hours everyday(Date). He refused to stop, taking no breaks for food, due to his fear of not saving all the Jews waiting outside his door. Sugihara was extremely brave for choosing to disobey his government by trying to save the weak and helpless individuals outside his
After many anxious days of waiting, the cables with the final answers arrived(Leslie). All of them read that under no circumstances should he hand out visas to anyone who did not meet their qualifications (Pulvers). Sugihara feared to tell the crowd, so he pondered all through the night on whether to aid the Jews or obey his country's wishes. He asked his family for guidance, and they all concluded that he should take the risk to save the hopeful Jews. By July 29, 1940, Sugihara began writing visas rapidly(Pulvers). Each visa had to be handwritten, so it was a very time consuming job, taking 18-20 hours everyday(Date). He refused to stop, taking no breaks for food, due to his fear of not saving all the Jews waiting outside his door. Sugihara was extremely brave for choosing to disobey his government by trying to save the weak and helpless individuals outside his