Sempo Chiune Sugihara was born into a Samurai family and at the Kyosenji Buddhist temple of Japan. He married Yukiko, the grand-daughter of a Japanese Buddhist priest and went on to make history as a Japanese diplomat. When stationed in Lithuania, during the 2nd World War, on behalf of General Tojo and the Govt of Japan, Sempo issued visas to 6000 Jews in order to save them from persecution and death. This translated to saving between 40,000 and 100,000 Jewish peoples.  His final resting place is a Buddhist cemetery in Japan's most sacred town Kamakura in Tokyo which is also the birthplace of Samurai culture and was its capital. What inspired Japan to stand up for the Jewish peoples was its Samurai Code of Honor which commands us to show compassion to those in need and to display honor in adversity.  Sempo was awarded as the "Righteous Among the Nations" by the State of Israel and is a role model for us all. This Center aims to bring people together from all walks of life who are bound by the universal principles of compassion and kindness -- as well as the courage to stand up against bigotry and antisemitism in all of its forms.