WFC News
Leslie Sussan & “Hiroshima, My Father, and Me”
Venue: Essor Hiroshima Room 1･2
In 1946, with the war over and Japan occupied, 2nd Lt. Herbert Sussan received a plum assignment. He would get to use his training as a cinematographer and join a Strategic Bombing Survey crew to record the results of the atomic bombings in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. From his first arrival in Nagasaki, he knew that something novel and appalling had happened and that he had to preserve a record of the results, especially the ongoing suffering of those affected by the bomb (known as hibakusha) even months later. When the U.S. government decided that the gruesome footage would not be “of interest” to the American public and therefore classified it top secret, he spent decades arguing for its release.
His last wish was that his ashes be scattered at ground zero in Hiroshima. The author, his daughter, followed his footsteps in 1987, meeting survivors he had filmed more than 40 years before. And on that journey she found a father she had never really known in life.
This book recounts Herbert Sussan’s experiences (drawn directly from an oral history he left behind), his daughter’s quest to understand what he saw in Japan, and the
stories of survivors whose lives touched both father and daughter.
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Leslie A. Sussan was born and raised in Manhattan, and now lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with her daughter Kendra and their cat, Neko-chan. Over a long career as an attorney, she litigated for the U.S. Department of Justice, represented migrant farmworkers and abused children, and has now retired after fifteen years as an administrative appellate judge. She attends Bethesda Friends Meeting. She and Kendra lived in Hiroshima for a year in 1987-88.
Join us for WFC’s “August 6 Hiroshima Memorial Event 2023”!
Date: Sunday, August 6, 2023, 10:30 am / Saturday, Aug 5 PST: 18:30, EST: 21:30
Fee: Free of charge
Download the flyer for “Memorial Event”>>
Listen to the Hibakusha Testimony of Hiromu Morishita-Sensei with time for Q&A; visit WFC to stay cool in the afternoon; take part in singing, poetry, and conversation at Barbara’s Monument; and observe the lanterns launched at Motoyasu River at the end of the day.
Everyone is welcome to attend the event, so please come and join us.
We look forward to seeing you there!
10:30-12:00
Hibakusha Testimony by Hiromu Morishita-Sensei – hybrid online –
registration here: https://forms.gle/WqQGrC2ctqfCSix29
12:30-16:00
Open House at WFC (8-10 Higashi kannon-machi, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima City)
18:00-19:00
Sharing @ Barbara Reynold’s Monument at Peace Memorial Park
19:00
Lantern Watching at Motoyasu River
WFC has held American PAX (Peace Ambassadors Exchange) online for a couple of years due to the corona virus, but this coming fall, we will have PAX members from Japan visit the U.S. to conduct a face-to-face PAX.
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Capacity: 4
Destination: Washington State
Dates: We are unsure of the exact dates, but it will be up to two weeks in late October.
JOIN US!
- Seeking people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and interests
- Open to all ages (18+)
- Open to all nationalities, including expats (We cannot provide or help with a visa)
- English ability preferred but not required
(We plan to select at least one English speaker as an interpreter) - Commitment to cultural exchange and sharing stories of Hiroshima Ability to walk for long periods
Requirements
- Participants will be required to attend pre-trip training workshops in late July, August, and September.
- Participants will be responsible for their own airfare. (Partial subsidy is available.)
How to Apply & Application Deadline:
To apply for participation, please fill out this application form.
The deadline for applications is Monday, June 12.
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For more information, please download and review the flyer.
If you’d like to learn more about PAX, please take a look at this page for a brief introduction.
We look forward to receiving your application!
WFC “Friends Day” will be held again this year!
Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Hiroshima City International Student House, 2F
(1-1 Nishiaragami-cho, Minami-ku, Hiroshima City)
Description: Let’s foster friendship and spread peace through fun games and conversation!
Fee: Free of charge
Download the flyer for “Friends Day”>>
Everyone is welcome to attend the event, so please come and join us.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Spring 2023 US – Japan PAX
Feb 13 – 16 US / Feb 14 – 17 Japan
Program is delivered in English
WFC’s Peace Ambassador Exchange (PAX) is an annual sharing of ideas and materials related to peace, reconciliation, and nuclear issues, built on hearing the first-hand accounts of those whose lives have been impacted by war and the tragedies of atomic bombings.
Join us on any of these days to hear the stories of peace!
Spring 2023 US-Japan PAX Program
West Coast Day 1
Feb 13 @ 6-8pm PST / Feb14 @ 11am JPN
- “I will never forget that day” by Kiyomi Kohno
West Coast Day 2
Feb14 @ 6-8pm PST / Feb15 @ 11am JPN
- “Reflections on Serving Those ARound uS” by Don Watson
- “Opposing Nuclear Weapons in Washington State” by Dr. Joe Berkson & Sean Arent
East Coast Day 1
Feb 15 @ 7-9pm EST / Feb16 @ 9am JPN
- “Lessons from my Father” by Tamiyuki Okahara
East Coast Day 2
Feb16 @ 7-9pm EST / Feb17 @ 9am JPN
- “Transforming Conflict” by Rick Polhamus
- “Hiroshima, Miyoshi, Atlanta and Americus brought together by a Bell Tower” by Steve Leeper
*The program will include time for Q&A and breakout discussions.