RIP - Nicholas Winton, Died at 106

Photo courtesy of German Embassy London's Flickr page - Sir Nicholas Winton awarded Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/germanembassylondon/14385436107
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I did a blog entry relating to the Holocaust earlier today. In particular, it was about a very old man who, while admitting he felt guilty, and that no one but God could forgive him, seemed otherwise too distant and not as apologetic as some of his victims in attendance would have hoped. Seven decades and change since the crimes were committed, and that man seemed almost to think that his role in the Holocaust was so small as to be insignificant, which is not what you want to hear from someone who helped to decide who went to the gas chambers, and who did not.

So, let me go on to a much more positive story now relating to the Holocaust.

The first is about Nicholas Winton, a British man who helped save 669 Jewish children from the Holocaust. Mr. Winton went on a trip to Sudetenland shortly after Nazi Germany too it over, and he found Jewish refugee camps in atrocious conditions. He decided to do something about it of his own accord, and organized a rescue effort to bring them to safety to Britain. He had 900 children on his list, paying bribes to Nazi officials and organizing efforts to raise funds back home in Great Britain. Ultimately, he was able to save 669 Jewish children.

Yet, Winton did not boast about this. In fact, he largely did not speak about this Herculean task. Not even to his wife. But his effort were not forgotten, and he was remembered, and honored, by those whom he saved in 1988.

Here is the link to that story, with a video clip from when the man was honored that might just bring tears to your eyes:

669 Jewish children were saved from the Holocaust by a single man. This is how they thanked him. Curator: Rollie Williams

http://www.upworthy.com/669-jewish-children-were-saved-from-the-holocaust-by-a-single-man-this-is-how-they-thanked-him?c=ufb3

Mr. Winton died yesterday, at the age of 106. His work to save hundreds of otherwise doomed Jewish children from Nazi Germany is not forgotten, and we mourn the passing of such a great man today.

Nicholas Winton, Rescuer of 669 Children From Holocaust, Dies at 106 By ROBERT D. McFADDEN, JULY 1, 2015:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/02/world/europe/nicholas-winton-is-dead-at-106-saved-children-from-the-holocaust.html?_r=1

Okay, so here is another story about another man who was a government official of one of the Axis Power nations that we were fighting the war against. The Japanese are sometimes described almost as monsters because of some of the horrors that they were responsible for during World War II. However, much like there were some good Germans, such as Oskar Schindler, who stood up to Hitler and the Holocaust, this is a shining example of a good Japanese man who saved thousands of Jews during the darkest days of persecution from Japan's ally, Nazi Germany. There were difficulties finding him after the war, but when he was finally found, he was honored just a year before his death. Here is a link to that story:

Chiune Sugihara, Japan Diplomat Who Saved 6,000 Jews During Holocaust, Remembered by Jaweed Kalim, 01/24/2013:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/chiune-sugihara-japanese--jews-holocaust_n_2528666.html