Beth Tfiloh Lower School students learned about Janusz Korczak, a hero during a very sad time for the Jewish people around the world.
Based on "A Hero and the Holocaust: The Story of Janusz Korczak and His Children by" David Adler and "The Champion of Children: The Story of Janusz Korczak" by Tomek Bogacki.
This is the story of JanuszKorczak a hero during a very sad time for the Jewish people around the world.
JanuszKorczak was born in 1878 in Warsaw the capital of Poland to a successful Jewish family. His name was HenrykGoldszmit but he changed it when he became an author to JanuszKorczak. JanuszKorczak grew up in a very nice neighborhood near beautiful parks and a royal castle.
When JanuszKorczak grew up he decided to become a doctor. When he graduated he worked in a children’s hospital because he knew he wants to help children.
He wrote stories for children and books on advice for adults. He told adults to respect children and most of all to love them.
JanuszKorczak became the director of a new Jewish orphan’s home because he wanted to do more than making kids well he wanted to change their lives.
JanuszKorczak traveled to Paris, Berlin, and London to learn about how to run an orphanage. He met with architects so they can help him build a palce where children will grow up happy safe and successful.
JanuszKorczak loved to tell stories and jokes and do magic tricks for the kids, He gave children crayons and told them they can draw on his bald head. The children loved playing with him and fell asleep on his lap.JanuszKorczak was the children’s doctor, barber teacher and father. For each baby tooth that fell out he paid a special reward.
In the evening JanuszKorczak and his assistant went from bed to bed and tucked the children in.
In 1930 JanuszKorczak had a weekly radio program of stories and advice to help children with their everyday problems.
In the orphanage, JanuszKorczak let the children decide on the rules, and consequences. The most important rule was forgiveness. There was a children’s court and JanuszKorczak taught the kids that making a mistake was sometimes the best way to learn not to make that mistake again.
There was weekly newspaper written by the children, the teachers and JanuszKorczak himself. On Shabbat after breakfast the children sat with JanuszKorczak and read the newspaper and discuss the week’s events and problems. When new children came to the orphanage they were assigned an older child to help them for the first 3 months.
JanuszKorczak respected the children’s opinion and believed that children should have a say in the world they live in. JanuszKorczak taught the children useful skills like sewing and carpentering.
In the summer JanuszKorczak took all the kids to summer camp where they worked in the vegetable garden, swam played sports and hiked in the forest
In 1939 Germany invaded Poland and WWII began. It was a very sad time for the Jewish people. JanuszKorczak was asked by the German soldiers to leave their comfortable orphanage and move to a smaller less comfortable place. JanuszKorczak took his kids and moved to Ghetto Warsaw.
During this difficult time JanuszKorczak continued to show love and attention to all the children. Even though it was not easy JanuszKorczak continued to encourage the kids to put on concerts and theatre performances.
He had a spot in the middle of the room where he watched over the children while writing in his diary.
We remember JanuszKorczak today as the champion of kids because he believed that children have the right to be loved, educated and protected even during hard times.