Malka Sternberg - January 31, 2008
Father Receives Assistance from Japanese
He had sent the war in Siberia.
Yes, he spent the war in Siberia. My father was very lucky that he got to Japan. He loved the Japanese people. He couldn't say--when we would all ??? the Japanese were cruel and that they beat their prisoners. "No," he'd said, "there was nobody like the Japanese." Say a word against the Japanese--he used to say when there's peace, he'll be the consul, consul in Japan. He loved the Japanese and they were very kind to them. There's a book, you know, about that.
Yeah, actually there are several.
There are several?
Yeah.
I only know one. The rabbi and the, and the woman--the journalist did it. I forgot their names.
And there's a biography of um, what's his name, Sukiyama or something.
Sugihara, yes, Sugihara, yes. He really was inside, Sugihara.
And, you know, they stripped him of his of...
Everything.
Everything.
Yes. He died a poor man but not--afterwards not. After he died when Israel heard about it--we didn't know, we didn't know where he was, we knew nothing--his wife got taken care of and his son who had lost his hea...his fortune twice, he was work...they put him up in diamonds in, in, in Belgium. People gave him the money to start a diamond business and he lost all the money and then he was in debt and again they, they bailed him out.
Amazing man.
Yes, they both--it was too late. Sugihara we couldn't do anything anymore. He went up--when there were Jews left he went to the train and still gave them visas.
Right 'til the last minute.
In the la...he went on the train to give them, to give them visas those who were leaving.
Schindler, Winton and Sugihara.
Yes. Winton was a chapter to himself.
So you correspond with him?
Well, yes, I call him on his birthday and I call him on, on Christmas. I usually don't find him in, he's working. He's ninety seven years old and he's working. He's put up in his time old age homes and he takes care of them, I mean, controls them now. I mean he's got other people to work now but he does it and I usually phone his brother--his son, Nicky. His son Nicky because I can't get through to him. He gives the message.
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