Chiune Sugihara:

Taking a Stand Against Nazi Cruelty

Eric Zhou
Junior Division
Individual Website
Process Paper: 465 Words

Process Paper
I chose this topic because I learned about Chiune Sugihara when reading about him on a
website and became interested in how he saved so many Jews living in Poland. They were being
threatened by Nazi cruelty and tried to escape to other countries but none accepted them.
Sugihara wanted to save them because two main reasons- one, that these refugees were humans
beings, and the other, that they simply needed help. Sugihara believed in God and chose to
disobey his government rather than disobey God. He is not known by many people which
encouraged me to choose him for my History Fair Project.
First, I researched the internet to find information about Sugihara and I found a couple websites
about him providing background information. The websites also explained how and why he
made the risky decisions he chose to save Jewish people and the consequences he suffered from
them. I also watched a movie about him from his point of view that showed the time period of
his life as a diplomat writing fake visas for Jews escaping to Japan. Next, I put my sources
together on Noodletools and cited them for my website. I organized my information
chronologically and started typing it out for my website.
I selected my presentation category as a website because I knew that if I were to make a
mistake on my website I would have the option to edit it as opposed to an exhibit where if there
is a mistake it is not easy to fix. I also felt that a website would be much more convenient than an
exhibit board because it is not needed to be carried where as an exhibit board would be large and
difficult to transport. I did a website for History Fair in sixth grade before so I have experience
with it as well. Doing a website also meant that my only material would be a computer with
access to the internet. I did not need supplies to design and decorate.

My topic Relates to this year's theme(Taking a Stand in History) because Chiune Sugihara
stood up to his country, disobeying the Japanese Foreign Ministry and setting shame on himself
to save lives that mattered. He saved about 6000 Jewish people threatened to be killed in
concentration camps by writing visas one-by-one so that Jews could temporarily escape to Japan
from Nazi genocide. He was put in prison for two years and worked odd jobs for a living the rest
of his life. I believe he should be thought of as a hero-a person, typically a man, who is admired
or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.