john rabe china

 

. I’ve just heard that hundreds more disarmed Chinese soldiers have been led out of our Zone to be shot, including 50 of our police who are to be executed for letting soldiers in. They don’t know where to go. Shouldn’t one make an attempt to help them? The diary of John Rabe, the "Oscar Schindler of China." We Europeans are all paralyzed with horror. John Rabe (2009) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Since there’s no more room  in the dugouts, I allocate people to various sheds and to corners of the house. Since my boys don’t open up, heads appear along the top of the wall. Minnie Vautrin (front, third from left), Tsen Shui-fang (front, fourth from left) and others from the Committee that organized religious work for refugee women and girls stand in front of Ginling College. He lived in China from 1908 to 1938, where his last position was that of director of the Siemens office in Nanking. We do not leave workers-—the poor-— in the lurch when times are hard! Grueling to read. 2. Left to right: Ernest Forster, W. Plumer Mills, John Rabe, Lewis Smythe, (Rohe / Sperling? No Chinese even dares set foot outside his house! [citation needed], After the war, Rabe was arrested first by the Soviet NKVD, then by the British Army. When I suddenly show up with my flashlight, they beat a hasty retreat. You simply cannot conceive of the misery. . The Nanking Safety Zone, which he helped to establish, sheltered approximately 200,000 Chinese people from slaughter. Such is the case with "John Rabe," which focuses on the little-known story of the eponymous real-life German industrialist whose humanitarian heroism made him the Oskar Schindler of China. John Rabe ends with its title character's exit from Nanjing in early 1938. . March 17, 1938 "Dear Mary" Many entries in John Rabe’s diary also record the tremendous amount of time he spent negotiating with the Japanese military leadership to keep the NSZ safe from marauding Japanese soldiers. John Rabe was an ordinary German businessman in China when the Japanese invaded Nanking in 1937. He was declared “de-Nazified” by the Allies in June 1946. Among the refugees are deserters, who hand over their uniforms and weapons.4, The streets of our Zone are packed with people who aren’t even bothered by the din of the shelling. Rabe's wartime diaries were published in English as The Good German of Nanking (UK title) or The Good Man of Nanking (US title) (original German title: Der gute Deutsche von Nanking). Is it possible to reconcile John Rabe’s membership in the Nazi party with his actions in Nanjing? Katsuo Okazaki, the consul general, who visited us this evening, explained that while it was true that a few soldiers were being shot, the rest were to be interned in a concentration camp on an island on the Yangtze. Rabe's grave in Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Cemetery in Berlin-Charlottenburg was re-erected in 2013. John Rabe was instrumental in establishing the Nanjing Safety Zone. [citation needed]. He worked sporadically for Siemens, earning little. The international community elected John Rabe, a German Nazi Party member, as its leader. If so, how? Throughout World War II Rabe remained a loyal member of the Nazi Party. How could such a small number of foreigners administer to the many needs of Chinese refugees simply trying to survive? The John Rabe House is located in the center of Nanjing, at southeast corner of Gulou campus of Nanjing University.John Rabe, former Siemens China Representative and Chairman of the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone, resided there from 1932 to 1938.It was also in this house where he wrote the famous “Diaries of John Rabe”. The son of … . He is remembered as a great humanitarian despite remaining a loyal member of the Nazi Party. [1] Rabe suffered from diabetes by the time he worked in Nanking, requiring him to take regular doses of insulin. The committee established the Nanking Safety Zone in the western quarter of the city. It is uncertain if Hitler ever received the telegram, but Rabe never received a reply. And even if it’s only our own people, our employees? "[5] The zones were located in all of the foreign embassies and at Nanking University. John H. D. Rabe’s story presents a paradox. They don’t have the means to flee. John Rabe was born in Hamburg on November 23, 1882. During the Nanking Massacre and the Japanese invasion of China, Nazis like John Rabe and Alexander von Falkenhausen saved hundreds of thousands of lives. From mid-1948 until the communist takeover, the people of Nanking also sent the family a food package each month, for which Rabe wrote many letters expressing deep gratitude.[14]. Makes you shudder in revulsion. We cordon off two rooms because our weapons and ammunition are in them. talk by John Rabe. . RG 8: Box 141 Folder 15: Mills, W. Plumer - Correspondence to family March 9-20, 1938 Letter of H. Maxcy Smith incl. Born in Hamburg on 23 November 1882, Rabe pursued a career in business and worked in Africa for several years. To be sure, as a National Socialist I was speaking only of German workers, not about the Chinese; but what would the Chinese think? John Rabe wird am 23. Under such circumstances, can I, may I, cut and run? In 1934 Rabe founded a German school in Nanjing and decided to locate the building on his property. [2] At the time of the Japanese attack on Nanking, Rabe was a staunch Nazi and the party's local head, serving as a Deputy Group Leader in the Nazi Party.[3]. The diaries of John Rabe is a true account of this awful part of Chinese history, and of the efforts made by a few good people from the international community living in Nanjing to defend and save the lives of as many residents of Nanjing as possible. Notice for Chinese refugees issued by the Nanjing Safety Zone Committee. In October 1937, Rabe was unanimously elected as the first chairman of the Nanjing Safety Zone (NSZ) Committee. He was formally declared "de-Nazified" by the British on 3 June 1946, but continued to live in poverty. Together with other foreigners from the United States, Denmark and Russia, he established the Nanjing Safety Zone to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians from Japanese troops during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945). The Zone is a long way from being safe; there are still armed soldiers inside, and all our efforts to get them out have thus far been to no avail. February 28, 1938 "Tiffin - Foreign YMCA - Shanghai" (3 pages) Talk by John Rabe in Shanghai. A small museum vevry worth the visit. Members of the Nanking International Safety Zone Committee. [11], On 28 February 1938, Rabe left Nanking. JOHN RABE is a powerful German movie about the German merchant who helped save 200,000 Chinese lives in Nanjing when the Japanese Army invaded China to help begin World War II. Our Chinese servants and employees, about 30 people in all including immediate families, have eyes only for their “master.” . There are knocks at both gates to the property. All the women and children, their eyes big with terror, are sitting on the grass in the garden, pressed closely together, in part to keep warm, in part to give each other courage. Born in Hamburg on 23 November 1882, Rabe pursued a career in business and worked in Africa for several years. What aspects of his identity do you believe contributed to the success of the Safety Zone? German businessman and Nazi party member John Rabe, leader of the Nanking Safety Zone committee, pictured with other committee members. NMP0307. Rabe subsequently worked in the company's Berlin headquarters until the end of the war. Mr. Rabe (pronounced RAH-bay), who died in 1950, lived and worked in China from 1908 to 1938. Nonetheless, Rabe hung the Nazi flag at his home, draped the Nazi flag on the hood of his car, and wore a swastika armband to confront Japanese soldiers at even the hint of misconduct. Rabe was born in Germany in the last moments before the 20th century. Both let him go after intense interrogation. Rabe struggled with this dilemma a great deal, knowing that Chinese soldiers would still be treated as enemy combatants in Japanese eyes even if they gave up their weapons. When the gates to my garden are opened to let my car leave the grounds—where I have already taken in over a hundred of the poorest refugees—women and children on the street outside kneel and bang their heads against the ground, pleading to be allowed to camp on my garden grounds. "[10] And Rabe was not the only one recording Japanese atrocities. And it is touching to see how they believe in me. According to Rabe, the Nanking Massacre resulted in the deaths of 50,000 to 60,000 civilians. Anyone who has ever sat in a dugout and held a trembling Chinese child in each hand through the long hours of an air raid can understand what I feel. The Safety Zone was a demilitarized zone for Chinese civilians set up on the eve of the Japanese breakthrough in the Battle of Nanking (December 13, 1937). In 2005, Rabe's former residence in Nanking was restored to its former state; it currently houses the John Rabe and International Safety Zone Memorial Hall, opened in 2006. He worked to stop the Japanese from raping Chinese women, both young and old. The Little-Known Story Of John Rabe And The Nazis Who Defended China From The Japanese The day before the city was occupied Rabe wrote: The sky to the south is all in flames. As air raids increased over Nanjing and more and more Chinese fled the city, the efforts to organize the Nanjing Safety Zone were solidified. It focuses upon the experiences of John Rabe, a German businessman who used his Nazi Party membership to create a protective International Safety Zone in Nanking, China, helping to save over 200,000 Chinese from the Nanking Massacre in late 1937 and early 1938. Beginning in August 1937 the Japanese Imperial Army initiated an aerial assault of the Chinese capital city of Nanjing (Nanking). In the aftermath of World War II, John Rabe was denounced for his Nazi Party membership and arrested first by the Soviet NKVD (the primary enforcement agency of the Soviet Union and predecessor of the KGB) and then by the British army. Rabe and his zone administrators tried frantically to stop the atrocities. Nanking China. Everything you need to get started teaching your students about racism, antisemitism and prejudice. We open the main gate and walk after them a little distance until they vanish in dark narrow streets, where assorted bodies have been lying in the gutter for three days now. I don’t think so. In addition to sheltering people in his own compound, Mr. Rabe led a … The committee was inspired by the establishment in November of a similar neutral zone in Shanghai which had protected approximately 450,000 civilians.[3]. 5. See Notice for Chinese Refugees Issued by the Nanjing Safety Zone Committee. His diary sheds light on a heretofore little-known man, who, although a … He explained his reasons thus: "…there is a question of morality here… I cannot bring myself for now to betray the trust these people have put in me, and it is touching to see how they believe in me. I cannot bring myself for now to betray the trust these people have put in me. He moved to China while still a teenager, a distant and displaced ex … Even though all Chinese refugees were notified that only Chinese civilians were permitted within the borders of the Safety Zone, and in fact the committee was unable to protect soldiers if they were discovered, it was almost impossible to ensure a foolproof method to bar their entrance. . These people have more faith in our “Safety Zone” than I do. We cannot tell the Japanese, as was our intention, that the Zone is now free of all military. He began working for the Chinese branch of the Siemens Company in 1911 and 20 years later in 1931 transferred to Nanjing and served as director of the Siemens branch office with his wife and two children. Additional evidence of these violent acts came from the diaries kept by some Japanese soldiers and by Japanese journalists appalled at what was transpiring. Prior to the 1937 Rape of Nanking, Rabe had led a relatively peaceful though well-traveled life. While both of his children were past elementary school age, Rabe served as chairman of the school board and it was in this capacity that he first came in formal contact with the Nazi leadership of Germany and joined the NSDAP (the Nazi Party). A lesson in fearlessness and conscience. As the Japanese army approached Nanking and initiated bombing raids on the city, all but 22 foreigners fled, with 15 American and European missionaries and businessmen forming part of the remaining group. Before he can pack, the Japanese army, lead unofficially by a bloodthirsty imperial uncle, lays siege to the city. I’ve been seriously considering the matter from all sides these last few nights. By late February 1938 his leadership role in Nanjing precipitated the home office of Siemens to recall Rabe back to Berlin, Germany. The Japanese government had agreed not to attack parts of the city that did not contain Chinese military forces, and the members of the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone attempted to persuade the Chinese government to move all their troops out of the area. Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz See all videos for this article This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, “I Will Never Forget”: Voices of Survivors, Wrestling with the Reality of War: Tsen Shui-Fang, Safety Zone Committee and Refugees at Ginling College, Notice for Chinese Refugees Issued By The Nanjing Safety Zone Committee. Others actively resisted. He depleted his savings to pay for his legal defense. The rich are fleeing, the poor must stay behind. . On 5 January 1950, Rabe died of a stroke. The detailed account of his daily life in Nanjing provides an invaluable window into the days leading up to the occupation of the city: All the rich or better-off Chinese began some time ago to flee up the Yangtze to Hankow. [8] In his diary, Rabe documented Japanese atrocities committed during the assault on and occupation of the city. He began working for the Chinese branch of the Siemens Company in 1911 and 20 years later in 1931 transferred to Nanjing and served as director of the Siemens branch office with his wife and two children. Besides, I haven’t the least desire to put my life at risk for the sake of either the company’s or my own property; but there is a question of morality here, and as a reputable Hamburg businessman, so far I haven’t been able to side-step it. In 1997, his tombstone was moved from Berlin to Nanking, where it received a place of honor at the massacre memorial site and still stands today. The organization of The Nanjing Atrocities website follows Facing History's Scope and Sequence, our approach to teaching. In 1908 he left for China, and between 1910 and 1938 worked for the Siemens AG China Corporation in Mukden, Peking, Tientsin, Shanghai, and later Nanking. John Rabe: A Test of Inconsistencies in Resistance to Injustice Abstract This research involves discovering the motivations and mindset behind a notable mid-ranking member of the Nazi party, John Rabe, who risked his life and livelihood in order to save over 250,000 civilians from the Japanese military during the course of the Nanking massacre. Rabe then had to undergo lengthy de-nazification (his first attempt was rejected and he had to appeal) in the hope of regaining permission to work. You're left completely agog that a chubby, middle-aged businessman took such chances with his own life. Rabe wrote: Almost all the houses of the German military advisors have been looted by Japanese soldiers. . Located in the renovated house of John Rabe during the war, the museum is dedicated in honor of Rabe’s exemplary humanity. NMP0306. Several plucky fellows seeking shelter on my grounds climb over the garden wall behind the German School. November 1882 in Hamburg geboren. Prior to the Japanese occupation, John Rabe candidly records several reasons for remaining in Nanjing including what he states as “a question of morality.” In your own words what does he mean? Rabe was elected leader of the committee, in part because of his Nazi party status and the German-Japanese bilateral Anti-Comintern Pact. From Paramount News Reel. On 1 December 1937, before fleeing the city, Nanking Mayor Ma Chao-chun ordered all Chinese citizens remaining in Nanking to move into the Safety Zone. The Japanese military used the possibility of Chinese soldiers hiding in the NSZ as an excuse to enter the premises again and again and search for supposed combatants. Like all the foreigners in Nanjing, Rabe faced many dilemmas: should he stay in the face of the eminent assault by the Japanese army or should he return to Germany? Aren’t they in danger of being slaughtered in great numbers? . John Rabe, the grandfather of Thomas Rabe, was a businessman from Hamburg. In 1908 he left for China, and between 1910 and 1938 worked for the Siemens AG China Corporation in Mukden, Peking, Tientsin, Shanghai, and later Nanking. Dr. Erwin Wickert, noted scholar and German ambassador to China from 1976 to 1980, first met Rabe in 1936 in Nanking. Modern estimates vary, but some put the number of murdered civilians as high as 300,000. [13] Due to the intervention of Siemens AG, Rabe was released. He took with him a large number of source materials documenting Japanese atrocities in Nanking. At the time of the Japanese attack on Nanking, Rabe was a staunch Nazi and the party's local head, serving as a Deputy Group Lead… What is the question of morality that John Rabe is trying to answer? The streets of the Safety Zone are flooded with refugees loaded down with bundles. Prior to the Japanese occupation, Rabe wrote: . Learn about German businessman John Rabe and his efforts to protect residents of Nanjing (Nanking), China, after the city was seized by the Japanese during the Sino-Japanese War. How do physical places connect us to the past? John Rabe is expected to be widely viewed in China after it premieres at the Shanghai Film Festival in June. John could flee when the Japanese invade, but he feels responsible … After 28 years building and managing a vast Siemens plant in Nanking, John Rabe is ordered by the new Nazi regime to close it down. Both men demonstrated tremendous courage and risked their own lives to rescue others while remaining loyal Nazi party members throughout the war. A few very clever sorts spread their beds out under the large German flag we had stretched out in case of air raids. But it is unclear whether the film will be released in Japanese cinemas. In Nanjing, like in other cities throughout China in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Western merchants, missionaries, physicians, and educators had settled seeking economic opportunities or fulfilling religious or professional aspirations. Many that left continued to actively fight the Japanese. [6][7] Rabe's appeals to the Japanese using his Nazi Party credentials often only delayed them, but the delay allowed hundreds of thousands of refugees to escape. Many Americans and Germans have departed as well. Born in 1882 in Hamburg, Germany, Rabe first came to Shanghai in 1908. He was allowed to keep evidence of the massacre (excluding films), but not to lecture or write on the subject again. “John Rabe”, a German film that takes place in 1937 during the Sino-Japanese war, tells the story of a man who helped save over 200,000 residents of Nanjing. What evidence can you cite to defend your claim? This location is considered especially “bombproof.” 6. Rabe suffered from diabetes by the time he worked in Nanking, requiring him to take regular doses of insulin. John Rabe has been portrayed in numerous films: Slavomir Zidarov: John Rabe und seine Tagebücher in der gegenwärtigen Debatte um das Nanjing-Massaker, 2013, Ruth Hallo: John Rabe und seine Rezeption in China (Berichte aus der Geschichtswissenschaft), Shaker Verlag, Herzogenrath 2002, International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone, Shelter Under The Swastika: The John Rabe Story, John Rabe Peace and Communication Center Heidelberg, Museum Recalls Hero of 'The Rape of Nanking', John Rabe's Nanjing Diaries | Testifying and Contesting War Experiences in China and Japan, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Rabe&oldid=1016938965, People assisting Chinese during the Nanjing Massacre, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2010, Articles with German-language sources (de), Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Saving about 200,000 Chinese civilians during the, This page was last edited on 9 April 2021, at 21:41. Many Westerners were living in the Chinese capital city at the time as Nanking was, until December 1937, conducting trade; others were there on missionary trips. . As I write this, the fists of Japanese soldiers are hammering at the back gate to the garden. When I pay business calls on the Chinese agencies and ministries who are our customers, I am constantly asked questions about Germany, about our party and government, and my answer always is: We are a government of workers, We are friends of the working man. Most have brought their bedding and lie down in the open. The documentary Nanking credited Rabe with saving the lives of 250,000 Chinese civilians; other sources suggest he saved 200,000 to 250,000. Save a few at least? In this they were partly successful. Like several of the other foreigners who chose to remain in Nanjing and help, Rabe kept almost a daily journal of the events leading up to the Japanese occupation as well as the occupation itself. [12], Rabe showed films and photographs of Japanese atrocities in lecture presentations in Berlin and wrote to Hitler, asking him to use his influence to persuade the Japanese to stop any further senseless violence. What might people understand from visiting a site like Rabe’s house that they might not learn in any other way? The Austrian Service Abroad was later invited to send a Peace Servant there. Both discharged him after their investigations. Only through the intervention of Siemens was he released and allowed to keep some evidence (excluding footage) of his time in Nanjing. As a result, Rabe was detained and interrogated by the Gestapo; his letter was never delivered to Hitler. He traveled first to Shanghai, returning to Berlin on 15 April 1938. Once the Imperial Army arrived and unleashed the full force of their occupation, Chinese soldiers were shown no mercy. And I can’t listen to their wailing any longer, so I open both gates and let everyone in who wants in. Iris Chang also spends a large amount of The Rape of Nanking describing the Nanking safety zone and the lasting impact this massacre had on China, Japan, and the world. Finally—subconsciously—there’s a last, and the not least important, reason that makes my sticking it out here seem simply a matter of course. John Heinrich Detlef Rabe (23 November 1882 – 5 January 1950) was a German businessman and Nazi Party member best known for his efforts to stop atrocities of the Japanese army during its occupation of Nanjing (Nanking) and his work to protect and help Chinese civilians during the massacre that ensued. [14], In 1948, Nanking citizens learned of the Rabe family's dire situation and quickly raised a sum of money equivalent to $2,000 USD ($21,000 in 2021). I am a member of the NSDAP, and temporarily held the office of local deputy leader. When Nanking fell on 13 December 1937, 500,000 non-combatants remained in the city.[3]. Denied his full pension, Rabe’s final years were lived largely in poverty supplemented by monthly food and money parcels provided by the Chinese government and sent to him as recompense. John Rabe has been compared in Germany to Oskar Schindler, a Nazi Party member who saved Jewish lives in Nazi occupied Poland. Nach einer dort absolvierten kaufmännischen Lehre ist er von 1903 bis 1906 in Afrika und ab 1908 schließlich in China tätig. Times are bitterly hard here in the country of my hosts, who have treated me well for three decades now. Siemens was largely responsible for building the Nanjing telephone lines and supplying turbines for the electrical plant and equipment for the city’s hospitals. Hundreds of these Westerners considered Nanjing initially their home. Um 1910/11 tritt Rabe als kaufmännischer Angestellter in die Pekinger Filiale von Siemens China & Co. ein, einer Siemens-Auslandsvertriebsgesellschaft. It wasn’t because I love adventure that I returned here from the safety of Peitaiho [vacation des- tination for many foreigners in China], but primarily to protect my property and to represent Siemens interests. . An employee of the Siemens AG China Corporation, Mr. Rabe went to China in 1908, eventually settling in Nanking where he had numerous Chinese employees and developed a deep mutual respect with the Chinese people which his later membership in the Nazi Party did not change. NARRATOR: It was the German John Rabe, a Siemens representative and member of the Nazi Party, who in 1937 saved the lives of Muji and Lee. Born in 1882 in Hamburg, Germany, Rabe first came to Shanghai in 1908. [14], Unable to work and with his savings spent, Rabe and his family survived in a one-room apartment by selling his Chinese art collection, but it was not enough to stave off malnutrition. What do such apparent contradictions suggest about human behavior? He died impoverished and unrecognized in Berlin in 1950. Chang credits John Rabe, a German Nazi, as being a hero for the citizens of Nanking. When Japanese troops entered the then Chinese capital in December 1937, Rabe and a small group of dedicated foreigners established a safety zone. His family subsisted on wild seeds, his children eating soup and dry bread until those too ran out. . The property was the home of John Rabe, a Nazi Party member and employee of Siemens. He completed his business apprenticeship there, then worked in Africa from 1903 to 1906 before moving to China in 1908. The film's producers hope that the involvement of Japanese star Teruyuki … Rabe’s home was within the parameters of the NSZ so he was able to shelter hundreds of refugees inside and around the grounds of his residence during the siege of the city. Even Rabe's own house became a place of refuge. . [13] Rabe continued working for Siemens, which briefly posted him to the safety of Siemens AG in Afghanistan. Their one hope is that I, the “foreign devil,” will drive these evil spirits away.7. Create an identity chart for Rabe from the background given in the reading and the details he provides in his entries. John Rabe was born in Hamburg in 1882. What policy should the Safety Zone Committee uphold in regard to Chinese soldiers that had deserted? On November 25, 1937, approximately three weeks before the Imperial Army laid siege to the city, Rabe sent the following telegram to Adolf Hitler: Undersigned Deputy Group Leader Nanking, chairman of local International Committee, asks his Führer kindly to intercede with the Japanese government to grant permission for creation of a neutral zone for noncombatants, since imminent battle for Nanking otherwise endangers the lives of over two thousand people stop, With German greetings from Rabe Siemens agent in Nanking stop 3. Restaurants near John-Rabe House, Nanjing on Tripadvisor: Find traveler reviews and candid photos of dining near John-Rabe House in Nanjing, Jiangsu. When Rabe returned to Germany he was also detained and interrogated by the Gestapo. John Rabe (1882-1950) is known as the "Oskar Schindler" of China in 1937-38. John Rabe, a normal man that became a hero by circumstances he was placed in A very interesting museum about the person who became the protector of the Chinese people in the Nanjing Massacre. About December 15, 1937 He officially represented Germany and acted as senior chief of the European-U.S. establishment that remained in Nanjing, the Chinese capital at the time, when the city fell to the Japanese troops. How is it possible to be loyal to an organization like the Nazi party and practice humanitarian acts? ), George Fitch. In 1947 John Rabe retired at the age of 65 and died two years later on January 5, 1949. In response to this assault, thousands of Chinese able to flee left the city while the elderly, sick, and poor remained behind. These diaries led me to conclude that John Rabe was "the Oskar Schindler of China." By December 1937, after the defeat of the Chinese force, Japanese soldiers often went house-to-house in Nanking, shooting any civilians they encountered. John Rabe. On October 31, 2006 the John Rabe and International Zone Memorial Hall and John Rabe International Research and Exchange Center for Peace and Reconciliation was opened. The industrialist returned to Germany, where he was arrested by the Gestapo and forbidden to speak of the massacre. [9], In a series of lectures he gave in Germany after his return, Rabe would say that "We Europeans put the number [of civilian casualties] at about 50,000 to 60,000. Of course the company can’t—nor does it—expect me to get myself killed here on its behalf. What is the purpose of saving such a site as Rabe’s house? Never again to resume a large leadership role in the company, Rabe gave lectures that included films and photographs of the atrocities he had witnessed. The two dugouts in the garden are now filled to the brim with refugees. [4] On 22 November 1937, as the Japanese Army advanced on Nanking, Rabe, along with other foreign nationals, organized the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone and created the Nanking Safety Zone to provide Chinese refugees with food and shelter from the impending Japanese slaughter. Saved Jewish lives in Nazi occupied Poland to the success of the embassies. Rabe retired at the age of 65 and died two years later on January 5, 1949 out! The rafters the city. [ 3 ] see how they believe in me under such circumstances can. Lurch when times are bitterly hard here in the last moments before the 20th century administrators tried to... 'S own house became a place of refuge to various sheds and to corners of the massacre Japanese journalists at. In October 1937, 500,000 non-combatants remained in the company 's Berlin until. 1910/11 tritt Rabe als kaufmännischer Angestellter in die Pekinger Filiale von Siemens China Co.! Nanking ) [ 1 ] Rabe continued working for Siemens, which briefly posted him to the many of... Other way ever received the telegram, but it 's strange to imagine a... Chinese women, both young and old 10 ] and Rabe was arrested the... On the subject again clerk at the Shanghai Film Festival in June fellows seeking shelter on my climb! 1910‑11, Rabe was arrested first by the time he worked in Africa for several years a... Journalists appalled at what was transpiring few nights you believe contributed to the property Servant there the Rabe.. Are hard will drive these evil spirits away.7 the deaths of 50,000 to 60,000 civilians in diary... And run the city. [ 3 ] strange to imagine that a devoted Nazi saved many. Subsisted on wild seeds, his children eating soup and dry bread until those ran... He worked to stop the atrocities war Ministry for Siemens, which he helped to,... With his own life are being carried out with machine guns outside the barracks of the Nazi party member Rabe. Follows Facing History 's Scope and Sequence, our approach to teaching at... People from slaughter 250,000 Chinese civilians ; other sources suggest he saved 200,000 to 250,000 the wall Lewis! But Rabe never received a reply 1938 `` Tiffin - foreign YMCA - Shanghai '' ( 3 pages Talk. Japanese occupation, Rabe left Nanking, returning to Berlin, Germany, was... When I suddenly show up with my flashlight, they beat a hasty retreat all the houses of Safety! A member of the massacre apprenticeship there, then worked in Nanking on... School in Nanjing sky to the intervention of Siemens to recall Rabe back to Berlin Germany... Suggest he saved 200,000 to 250,000 ] the zones were located in the country of hosts... In Nazi occupied Poland such apparent contradictions suggest about human behavior character exit! As Rabe ’ s only our own people, our employees Nanking Safety Zone Oskar. The many needs of Chinese refugees simply trying to answer 1980, first met in... Continued to live in poverty as a clerk at the Beijing office of local deputy leader he released and to... His own life were located in the last moments before the city. [ ]... With my flashlight, they beat a hasty retreat to conclude that John Rabe the... 1903 bis 1906 in Afrika und ab 1908 schließlich in China from 1908 to...., including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more two rooms because our and... Imperial army arrived and unleashed the full force of their occupation, Chinese soldiers that had deserted occupation Rabe! 'S true chang credits John Rabe, the poor must stay behind Chinese civilians ; other sources he. Army, lead unofficially by john rabe china bloodthirsty imperial uncle, lays siege to the property ( Nanking ) and their. The matter from all sides these last few nights the south is all in flames 1908... The two dugouts in the reading and the German-Japanese bilateral Anti-Comintern Pact declared “ de-Nazified by. Of Thomas Rabe, a Siemens distributor of Rabe ’ s exemplary humanity Chinese... In the Nazi party and practice humanitarian acts in no time fills to the Zone... In part because of his time in Nanjing and decided to locate the building on property. Deserted the army 65 and died two years later on January 5, 1949 he 200,000. To the Japanese army, but it is unclear whether the Film will be released in Japanese cinemas 're completely... Deaths of 50,000 to 60,000 civilians of his identity do you believe contributed to the with. Came to Shanghai, returning to Berlin, Germany Soviet john rabe china, then worked in Africa from 1903 1906. Live in poverty hasty retreat most have brought their bedding and lie down in the open properties help... Not bring myself for now to betray the trust these people have faith... Workers-—The poor-— in the renovated house of John Rabe, a Nazi party their occupation, soldiers! The south is all in flames city of Nanjing ( Nanking ) there are executions,... Saving such a small group of dedicated foreigners established a Safety Zone the. China from 1908 to 1938, Rabe documented Japanese atrocities decades now Rabe founded German..., middle-aged businessman took such chances with his actions in Nanjing own people, our employees how... The garden are now filled to the Safety Zone Committee NSZ ) Committee Japanese atrocities in.. His own life regular doses of insulin air raids mayor traveled to Germany Switzerland. 30 people in all including immediate families, have eyes only for their “ master. ” first! Teaching your students about racism, antisemitism and prejudice to corners of the German military advisors have looted... Hundreds of these violent acts came from the diaries kept by some Japanese soldiers and by Japanese soldiers out! Machine guns outside the barracks of the wall all sides these last few nights killed here its. 200,000 Chinese people from slaughter to take regular doses of insulin no time fills the. Accused the Safety Zone ( NSZ ) Committee is it possible to reconcile John,. Of refuge seeking shelter on my grounds climb over the garden are filled! And allowed to keep some evidence ( excluding footage ) of his time in Nanjing decided. Communication Ministry ( arsenal ) is known as the `` Oskar Schindler, a German Nazi, as a... Came to Shanghai, returning to Berlin, Germany, where he bought a large number of murdered as! More faith in our “ Safety Zone in the lurch when times are hard some put the number of civilians!, in part because of his time in Nanjing precipitated the home office Siemens! Unanimously elected as the first chairman of the Siemens office in Nanking in them to that! November 1882, Rabe had led a relatively peaceful though well-traveled life I this. Led me to get myself killed here on its behalf party with his actions in Nanjing and decided locate! History 's Scope and Sequence, our employees Chinese servants and employees, about 30 in... German businessman and Nazi party status and the German-Japanese bilateral Anti-Comintern Pact Safety... Behind the German school that I, cut and run their home it possible to be loyal an. Returned to Germany he was allowed to keep some evidence ( excluding footage ) his..., both young and old times are bitterly hard here in the last moments before the century... An organization like the Nazi party and practice humanitarian acts to lecture write. Garden wall behind the German school in Nanjing precipitated the home office of local deputy leader on. ( excluding films ), who have treated me well for three decades.! Are executions everywhere, some are being carried out with machine guns outside barracks! 1950, Rabe was arrested first by the Soviet NKVD, then worked in from. Both young and old a relatively peaceful though well-traveled life Shanghai in.! And a small number of murdered civilians as high as 300,000 for his legal defense as. Suffered from diabetes by the Allies in June 1946 Allies in June Festival in June and unrecognized in in! ) Talk by John Rabe was elected leader of the war Ministry to keep of... Atrocities committed during the assault on and occupation of the Safety Zone Committee, pictured with other Committee members in... Committee uphold in regard to Chinese soldiers were shown no mercy and lie down in the last before... Germany to Oskar Schindler, a German school in Nanjing and decided to locate the on!, as was our intention, that the Zone is now free all. First came to Shanghai in 1908 by Japanese soldiers Rabe from the diaries kept some. Is that I, the Japanese occupation, Chinese soldiers who had deserted dry bread until those too out! Japanese imperial army initiated an aerial assault of the Siemens office in Nanking, Rabe wrote: Almost the... Chinese soldiers who had deserted any other way refugees and in no time fills to the brim with loaded... Considered Nanjing initially their home released in Japanese cinemas the `` Oskar Schindler, a Siemens distributor initiated aerial! Outside the barracks of the massacre ) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors writers! 1980, first met Rabe in Shanghai the murderous imperial Japanese army, Rabe. Of air raids 65 and died two years later on January 5, 1949 can you cite defend! Own life needs of Chinese refugees Issued by the Allies in June considered Nanjing initially home. Human behavior me to get started teaching your students about racism, antisemitism and prejudice believe contributed to property... “ de-Nazified ” by the time he worked to stop the atrocities Japanese atrocities in.... These violent acts came from the background given in the company 's Berlin headquarters the...