Developer razes woods near Jerusalem honoring Japanese Holocaust rescuer

(JTA) — A memorial grove in Israel commemorating a Japanese man who saved Jews from the Holocaust was razed and rezoned as a building site.

Haaretz reported Wednesday that an apartment building is being erected at the site of the Chiune Sugihara Forest near Beit Shemesh.

David Shor, whose father was saved by Sugihara, said he was “shocked” by the development. The trees were planted 34 years ago by the Jewish National Fund, which told the paper it will plant a new woods in Sugihara’s name. The old one had become unsuitable due to the growth of neighborhoods around it, a spokesperson said.

In 1940, Chiune Sugihara gave transit visas into Japan to thousands of Jews fleeing the Nazis.

Last month, Nobuki Sugihara, a son of Chiune Sugihara, visited Israel with his wife and daughter, according to Haaretz.