One of the last Sugihara visa recipients in conversation
Marcel Weyland, one of the last living recipient of a ‘Sugihara visa’ living in Sydney, will appear in conversation with Holocaust expert Professor Konrad Kwiet at Limmud Oz.
Marcel Weyland
Born in Lodz, Weyland, thanks to a Sugihara visa, fled Europe and survived WWII. In only a few months in 1940, Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara helped 6,000 Jews escape Hitler, spending 18–20 hours per day hand-writing transit visas for them.
Konrad Kwiet
Weyland settled in Sydney in 1946 and has five children, 21 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He has been recognised worldwide for his translations of Polish texts, including ‘Echoes: Poems of the Holocaust’. He has received the Medal of the Order of Australia as well as multiple awards from the Polish government for his contributions to Polish culture. Weyland will be in conversation with Professor Konrad Kwiet, resident historian at the Sydney Jewish Museum, to discuss his lucky escape during WWII, is subsequent internment in Shanghai, and how he has built a successful life in Australia.
The conversation will take place at Limmud Oz (Sydney’s Festival of Jewish Ideas) at the Roundhouse, UNSW on Monday, 17 June at 1:45 – 2:45pm. The title of the talk “Arigatogozaimasu Sugihara-san!” (Thank you, Mr Sugihara!) Tickets can be purchased at the door ($10-$60 depending on ticket type).
