They could not leave the Soviet Union, or enter Japan without a final destination in hand. In fact, at the time they got Sugihara visas, which was closer to the beginning, he demanded one too. They therefore like everyone else had to get visas to Curacao. This fact is not some kind of secret and mentioned by the students in their stories too. See Shadar, p. 52, and many other places.

It was not only the Litvish bochurim, close to 2500 Dutch non-visas were issued.

But that’s not the point, the point of the previous comment was, that the Sugihara Japanese (and the Trans-Russian) route came to be as a result of the Curacao non-visa, it was than used by those with other end destinations as well.

Incidentally, the Lubavitch bochurim had yet to receive their American visas, and regrettably never did end up receiving them.

At that point in time*, one had to have a destination visas in order to receive a Japanese transit visas, they certainly had to have one in order to enter Japan. The only one available, was the Curacao non-visa.

It could be assumed that the families of some of these Bochurim still have the passports, and it should be easy to verify whether they did or didn’t receive the Curacao non-visa.

*based on the places of the Lubavitch bochurim on the Sugihara list, it is fair to assume that at that point in time, Sugihara wasn’t issuing transit visas to those who didn’t actually have a destination visa, something he only did towards the end.

That was how the Litvishe Bocheim got out. the Lubavitcher Buchrim had American Visas from the Freirdiker Rebbe and were just lacking transit Visas which Sugihara supplied.

Thanks! Fascinating!

This article reveals details I’d never heard, not from my Zaidy and not from anyone else.

Thank you, rabboisai, for the time and effort in recording this history. Much appreciated.

Just would like to add one thing: The article mentions a child being named Pesach after R. Pesach Rabinowitz, who was not zoicheh to children. Reb Pesach was a dear friend of Zaidy Lurie and as such, my uncle Avrumie Lurie named his son, my cousin Shua Lurie, Yehoshua Pesach in his honor and memory.

For the sake of historical accuracy, the path to safety came when the Ductch Ambassador L. P. J. de Decker in Riga, Latvia, authorized the honorary Dutch consul in Kovno, Lithuania Jan Zwartendijk to enter into the passports of a few refugees, that “no entry visa was required for admission to the Dutch islands of Surinam and Curacao in the Caribbean”. This however, was only a half truth, in reality though, while entry to the Dutch possessions did in fact not require an entry visa, entry however, depended solely on the Governor of those islands granting a landing permit upon arrival. For all practical purposes, all those who had the “no visa required” stamped into their passports, did not actually have permission to enter those islands.

Ambassador de Dedecker consented to drop the second half of the sentence, thanks to the repeated requests of a Dutch bochur by the name Nathan Gutwirth learning in the Telsher Yeshiva.

Through tremendous Hashgacha Pratis, Gutwirth had developed a personal friendship with Zwartendijk, prior to him assuming the position of honorary Dutch counsel, and upon the urging of others, Gutwirth used his good influence to prevail upon Zwartendijk to enter the “no entry visa required” into the passports to anyone who would ask for it.

Only once the destination of Curacao and Surinam was created, was Sugihara approached, and under the assumption that the Dutch “no entry visa required” valid, he issued Japanese transit visas.

Thank you. My grandfather Shmuel Tzvi Fox was one of these bachurim. He had a story of getting stuck in quicksand while the bachurim were escaping.

There was nothing in Bombay, it must have just been a mistake in the newspaper.

The Rabinowitzes were very close friends with parents. My oldest son is named also Mordechai after Peach’s father. Another son is named Pesach. They were wonderful people!