Janusz Korczak (Henryk Goldszmit)
(from book of Alik Gomelsky "History. Unlearned lessons")
Sometimes life creates such occurrences that are stranger than fiction, and even the wildest inventions of a writer cannot compete and as life favors irony it would make July 22nd not only the beginning of the “Great Action” in the Warsaw ghetto, but is also the Birthday of an outstanding doctor, writer, pedagogue, and hero Janusz Korczak, who was in fact a prisoner of the very same ghetto.
Janusz Korczak who’s birth name was Henryk Goldszmit, was born into a Jewish family in Warsaw in1878. Korczak's grandfather, Hirsch Goldszmit, was a physician who collaborated with the “Ha Maggid” a Jewish newspaper. Henryk began to earn money by tutoring in fifth grade and in 1898 he entered the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Warsaw in that same year Goldszmit took the pen name "Janusz Korczak" for his literary work.
In the summer of the following year he visited Switzerland to get better acquainted with the teaching methods of the pedagogue Pestalozzi.
Korczak served as a military doctor in 3 wars: the Russian-Japanese War (1904-1905), World War I (1914-1918),and The Soviet-Polish (1919-1920). Doctor Korczak was turned down due to his age when he wanted to volunteer for World War II. After the end of World War I, he worked as a doctor in orphanages for Ukrainian children in Kiev, where he wrote his book “How to Love a Child”.
With the rise of Hitler to the power in Germany, Jewish consciousness was awakened in Korczak. In 1934 and 1936, he visited Mandatory Palestine, where he met many of his former students. In 1937 he wrote: “…Approximately in May I am going to Eretz. And exactly for a year to Jerusalem. I have to learn the language, and there I will go wherever I will be invited… It was the most difficult decision. Today I want to sit in a small dark room with a Bible, a textbook, a Hebrew dictionary... There the very last will not spit in the face of the best just because he is a Jew...”.
In 1911 Korczak founded the Orphans' Home for Jewish children on 92 Krochmalna street, in Warsaw, which he managed (with a break in 1914-1918) until the end of his life.
During the occupation of Poland by the Germans in 1939, Korczak continued to walk around Warsaw in his uniform of a major of the Polish army and said: “...As for me, there is no German occupation. I am proud to be a Polish officer and will walk however I want...". He only removed his uniform when he was directly threatened with execution by the Nazis.
In 1940, together with the children of the Orphanage, he was moved to the Warsaw ghetto. During this period, Korczak was arrested and spent several months in prison. He was released at the request of Gantsvaikh, former head of the “Hashomer Hatzair” organization, who was a son of a rabbi, provocateur, and agent of the Gestapo, who through getting Korczak out of troubles wanted to earn authority in the ghetto.
Korczak was skeptical when it came to communist thoughts. He once said, "...I respect this idea, but it's like pure rainwater. When it spills on the ground, it gets polluted... In revolutions, as always, the smart and cunning win, while the naive and gullible are left with nothing, and revolutionary programs are a combination of madness, violence and insolence associated with disrespect for human dignity...".
In the ghetto, Korczak devoted all his efforts to caring for children, heroically obtaining food, clothing, and medicine for them. Korczak's students studied Hebrew and the foundations of Judaism. A few weeks before Passover of 1942, he held a secret ceremony at the Jewish cemetery: holding the Pentateuch in his hands, he took an oath from the children to be good Jews and honest people.
The “Great Action” lasted from July 22 to September 21 - exactly from the Ninth of Av to Yom Kippur. During this time, 250,000 to 400,000 Jews were deported or killed. On Wednesday, August 5, 1942, it was the turn of the Janusz Korczak Orphanage. On the Umschlagplatz, amongst the masses of beaten people, suddenly appeared by order of the Nazis, two hundred washed and neatly groomed children from the Orphanage, dressed in their very best clothes placed in rows of four. Each had a blue knapsack with some belongings and a favorite book or toy. Korczak strode ahead, unafraid by the fate he was walking toward. He was dressed in officer's high boots, with a belt, without a headdress and was holding a child by the hand. He was followed by his wife, educators, and nurses. At this sight, the Nazis, who just a moment before were gone with frenzy, screaming, whipping, and shooting, were taken a back. The Jewish police stood straighter at the sight of Korczak, causing the Nazis to inquire on what actually was happening. Meanwhile a panic arose in the Judenrath, calling to various German authorities, seeking the release of the “Pan Doctor”. Nazis agreed despite their daily disregard of human life when it came to thousands and millions of humans that they slaughtered. Once again Korczak was offered a chance of survival, and once again he unflinchingly refused, meeting the same death in the gas chamber as his kids.
Jewish and Polish people consider Janusz Korczak as their national pride, the face of resistance and resilience against the destruction and corruption of evil.
The Ukrainian people fondly remember how he took care of their orphaned youth.
Henryk Goldszmit (Janusz Korczak)
Monument for Janusz Korczak and his kids.
Remembrance stone.
Children of Warsaw Ghetto.
Map of Warsaw Ghetto.
Adam Czerniakov - Head of Warsaw Judenrath.
Judenrath's Police.
Deportation of Jews.
Sometimes life creates such occurrences that are stranger than fiction, and even the wildest inventions of a writer cannot compete and as life favors irony it would make July 22nd not only the beginning of the “Great Action” in the Warsaw ghetto, but is also the Birthday of an outstanding doctor, writer, pedagogue, and hero Janusz Korczak, who was in fact a prisoner of the very same ghetto.
Janusz Korczak who’s birth name was Henryk Goldszmit, was born into a Jewish family in Warsaw in1878. Korczak's grandfather, Hirsch Goldszmit, was a physician who collaborated with the “Ha Maggid” a Jewish newspaper. Henryk began to earn money by tutoring in fifth grade and in 1898 he entered the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Warsaw in that same year Goldszmit took the pen name "Janusz Korczak" for his literary work.
In the summer of the following year he visited Switzerland to get better acquainted with the teaching methods of the pedagogue Pestalozzi.
Korczak served as a military doctor in 3 wars: the Russian-Japanese War (1904-1905), World War I (1914-1918),and The Soviet-Polish (1919-1920). Doctor Korczak was turned down due to his age when he wanted to volunteer for World War II. After the end of World War I, he worked as a doctor in orphanages for Ukrainian children in Kiev, where he wrote his book “How to Love a Child”.
With the rise of Hitler to the power in Germany, Jewish consciousness was awakened in Korczak. In 1934 and 1936, he visited Mandatory Palestine, where he met many of his former students. In 1937 he wrote: “…Approximately in May I am going to Eretz. And exactly for a year to Jerusalem. I have to learn the language, and there I will go wherever I will be invited… It was the most difficult decision. Today I want to sit in a small dark room with a Bible, a textbook, a Hebrew dictionary... There the very last will not spit in the face of the best just because he is a Jew...”.
In 1911 Korczak founded the Orphans' Home for Jewish children on 92 Krochmalna street, in Warsaw, which he managed (with a break in 1914-1918) until the end of his life.
During the occupation of Poland by the Germans in 1939, Korczak continued to walk around Warsaw in his uniform of a major of the Polish army and said: “...As for me, there is no German occupation. I am proud to be a Polish officer and will walk however I want...". He only removed his uniform when he was directly threatened with execution by the Nazis.
In 1940, together with the children of the Orphanage, he was moved to the Warsaw ghetto. During this period, Korczak was arrested and spent several months in prison. He was released at the request of Gantsvaikh, former head of the “Hashomer Hatzair” organization, who was a son of a rabbi, provocateur, and agent of the Gestapo, who through getting Korczak out of troubles wanted to earn authority in the ghetto.
Korczak was skeptical when it came to communist thoughts. He once said, "...I respect this idea, but it's like pure rainwater. When it spills on the ground, it gets polluted... In revolutions, as always, the smart and cunning win, while the naive and gullible are left with nothing, and revolutionary programs are a combination of madness, violence and insolence associated with disrespect for human dignity...".
In the ghetto, Korczak devoted all his efforts to caring for children, heroically obtaining food, clothing, and medicine for them. Korczak's students studied Hebrew and the foundations of Judaism. A few weeks before Passover of 1942, he held a secret ceremony at the Jewish cemetery: holding the Pentateuch in his hands, he took an oath from the children to be good Jews and honest people.
The “Great Action” lasted from July 22 to September 21 - exactly from the Ninth of Av to Yom Kippur. During this time, 250,000 to 400,000 Jews were deported or killed. On Wednesday, August 5, 1942, it was the turn of the Janusz Korczak Orphanage. On the Umschlagplatz, amongst the masses of beaten people, suddenly appeared by order of the Nazis, two hundred washed and neatly groomed children from the Orphanage, dressed in their very best clothes placed in rows of four. Each had a blue knapsack with some belongings and a favorite book or toy. Korczak strode ahead, unafraid by the fate he was walking toward. He was dressed in officer's high boots, with a belt, without a headdress and was holding a child by the hand. He was followed by his wife, educators, and nurses. At this sight, the Nazis, who just a moment before were gone with frenzy, screaming, whipping, and shooting, were taken a back. The Jewish police stood straighter at the sight of Korczak, causing the Nazis to inquire on what actually was happening. Meanwhile a panic arose in the Judenrath, calling to various German authorities, seeking the release of the “Pan Doctor”. Nazis agreed despite their daily disregard of human life when it came to thousands and millions of humans that they slaughtered. Once again Korczak was offered a chance of survival, and once again he unflinchingly refused, meeting the same death in the gas chamber as his kids.
Jewish and Polish people consider Janusz Korczak as their national pride, the face of resistance and resilience against the destruction and corruption of evil.
The Ukrainian people fondly remember how he took care of their orphaned youth.
Henryk Goldszmit (Janusz Korczak)
Monument for Janusz Korczak and his kids.
Remembrance stone.
Children of Warsaw Ghetto.
Map of Warsaw Ghetto.
Adam Czerniakov - Head of Warsaw Judenrath.
Judenrath's Police.
Deportation of Jews.