Marcel Weyland returns to Tsuruga, port city of 'visas of life' Holocaust diaspora

Description

The news story covers the reuturn of Polish-born Australian, Marcel Weyland, who escaped the Holocaust on a Chihune Sugihara 'visa of life' issued for Curacao - allowing temporary entry to Japan. Such visas saved roughly 6,000 people during the Holocaust, and led to many Jewish refugees sojourning in Japan. Many were later interned in Shanghai unti the end of the war, as was the case with Mr. Weyland. The Marylka project documented the 'visas of life' and its many recipients - and both Marcel and his sister, Maria, were central interview subjects of the research and associated documentary project. Marcel's return to Japan is being documented and publicised in part because of our team's involvement and arrangement with local municipal government officials and the Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum, which is dedicated to documenting the various persons they have helped to survive in challenging situations, including the Sugihara 'visa of life' survivors, who first arrived by boat to the port city of Tsuruga.

This news coverage reminds viewers of the visas of life program, and told that Mr. Weyland arrived in March of 1940 to Tsuruga. The visit was arranged to coincide with the opening of an exhibition at the Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum regarding the 'visas of life', organised by the Dutch Embassy in Tokyo. The exhibition will open on March 16th.