Janusz Korczak
Janusz Korczak, né Ersh Henrik Goldszmit (22 July 1878, Warsaw — 7 August 1942, Treblinka), was a polish pedagogue, writer, doctor and social worker.
Janusz Korczak was born in Warsaw on 22 July, 1878 in an intelligent and cultured assimilated Jewish family. His grandfather, Hirsch Goldszmit, was a doctor and assistant in the newspaper "Ha-Maggid". His father, Jozef Goldszmit (1846−1896) was a lawyer, an author of the monograph "Lectures on divorce law according to the Mosaic Law and the Talmud"(1871).
Korczak remembered: "I was named after my grandfather, his name was Hirsch. My father had the right to name me Henrik, because he himself was named Jozef…". In an assimilated Jewish family, where he was born and brought up, he was called in the Polish way — Henrik. Henrik had a younger sister — Anna.
Henrik’s school years passed in Warsaw, he attended the Russian Gymnasium of Warsaw Ministry of Public Education Department of Russian Public Education, where he studied in Russian. It was strictly disciplined school, as was customary in Europe. Going to the theater or coming back home on vacation was possibly only after the written permission of directorate.
First grade pupils (children in the age of 10−11) was studying latine, second year — french and german, third year — greek.
In 1889 Henrik’s father started to get treatment in special hospitals because of his mental illness. His treatment was expensive that’s why Henryk was forced to to begin to work as a tutor to support his family financially when he was in a fifth grade (in the age of 15−16).
In the 1898, he enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine of the Imperial University of Warsaw. In the summer of 1899, he visited Sweden, Pestalozzi to get to know the pedagogical practices better. During his visit, he was particularly interested in schools and children’s hospital.
In 1903−1911 he was working in Warsaw at Bersons and Baumans Jewish children’s Hospital and as a tutor in a summer camps.
Henrik was a member of Jewish society of orphans charity.
In 23 of March, 1905, Henrik Goldszmit received a medicinal doctor’s degree. Goldszmit gained experience as a military doctor after the Russian-Japanese war.
In 1907, in order to deepen his knowledge, he went to Berlin for a year. There, he attended lectures for his money, underwent practical training in children’s hospitals, saw the work of different educational institutions. He was also doing an internship in France, he was visiting an orphanage in England.
In 1912, Korczak parted with his work in the hospital and he became a director of "Dom Sierot", orphanage for Jewish children at 92 Krochmalna Street. He was it’s director until his death. Korczak demanded complete independence in his administrative and educational activities from the philanthropists who subsidized his undertaking.
During the First World War 1914−1918, Korczak served as a military doctor in the divisional field hospital of the Russian Imperial Army. In Ternopil, he took under his care the street boy Stefan Zagorodnik.
Then he worked as a doctor in orphanages for Ukrainian children in Kiev, where he wrote the book "How to love a Child".
Korczak came back to Warsaw in 1918. There, he managed orphanages, educated, cooperated with different magazines, he was a lecturer at the Free Polish University and at Higher Jewish Pedagogical courses.
During the Polish-Bolshevik war (1919−1920), Korczak worked as a major of the Polish army in an epidemic hospital in Lodz.
In 1919−1936, he partook in the work of the boarding school "Our House", an orphanage for Polish children, where he also applied innovative pedagogical techniques.
In 1926−1932, Korczak arranged for the children and young people to publish their own newspaper Mały Przegląd [Little Review], as a weekly attachment to the daily newspaper Nasz Przegląd [Our Review].
Jewish activity
In 1899 Korczak was a guest at the Second Zionist Congress. He respected ideas of Theodor Herzl, but he couldn’t accept it. He considered himself a Pole in everything but religion. Henrik considered that the religion was personal matter for everyone. He expected, as a great miracle, the independence of Poland and believed in the complete assimilation of the Jews. The Bloody Jewish pogroms organized by Polish nationalists in 1918−1919. These events made Korczak deeply disappointed.
With Hitler’s accession to power in Germany and the growth of anti-Semitism in Poland, Korczak felt the jewish self-awareness. He became the Polish non-Zionist representative in the Jewish Agency. In 1934 and 1936, he visited mandatory Palestine, where he met many of his former foster children. He was inspired by pedagogical and social concept of organization of kibbuz. In 1937 he wrote in his letter:
"I'm going to Israel around May. I will stay in Jerusalem for a year. I have to learn the language, and after that, I am going wherever I will be invited… It was the most difficult decision. I’m dreaming about me sitting in a small dark room with a Bible, a textbook, a Hebrew dictionary… There, even the most unpleasant person won’t judge you just because you are jew."
Janusz Korczak was born in Warsaw on 22 July, 1878 in an intelligent and cultured assimilated Jewish family. His grandfather, Hirsch Goldszmit, was a doctor and assistant in the newspaper "Ha-Maggid". His father, Jozef Goldszmit (1846−1896) was a lawyer, an author of the monograph "Lectures on divorce law according to the Mosaic Law and the Talmud"(1871).
Korczak remembered: "I was named after my grandfather, his name was Hirsch. My father had the right to name me Henrik, because he himself was named Jozef…". In an assimilated Jewish family, where he was born and brought up, he was called in the Polish way — Henrik. Henrik had a younger sister — Anna.
Henrik’s school years passed in Warsaw, he attended the Russian Gymnasium of Warsaw Ministry of Public Education Department of Russian Public Education, where he studied in Russian. It was strictly disciplined school, as was customary in Europe. Going to the theater or coming back home on vacation was possibly only after the written permission of directorate.
First grade pupils (children in the age of 10−11) was studying latine, second year — french and german, third year — greek.
In 1889 Henrik’s father started to get treatment in special hospitals because of his mental illness. His treatment was expensive that’s why Henryk was forced to to begin to work as a tutor to support his family financially when he was in a fifth grade (in the age of 15−16).
In the 1898, he enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine of the Imperial University of Warsaw. In the summer of 1899, he visited Sweden, Pestalozzi to get to know the pedagogical practices better. During his visit, he was particularly interested in schools and children’s hospital.
In 1903−1911 he was working in Warsaw at Bersons and Baumans Jewish children’s Hospital and as a tutor in a summer camps.
Henrik was a member of Jewish society of orphans charity.
In 23 of March, 1905, Henrik Goldszmit received a medicinal doctor’s degree. Goldszmit gained experience as a military doctor after the Russian-Japanese war.
In 1907, in order to deepen his knowledge, he went to Berlin for a year. There, he attended lectures for his money, underwent practical training in children’s hospitals, saw the work of different educational institutions. He was also doing an internship in France, he was visiting an orphanage in England.
In 1912, Korczak parted with his work in the hospital and he became a director of "Dom Sierot", orphanage for Jewish children at 92 Krochmalna Street. He was it’s director until his death. Korczak demanded complete independence in his administrative and educational activities from the philanthropists who subsidized his undertaking.
During the First World War 1914−1918, Korczak served as a military doctor in the divisional field hospital of the Russian Imperial Army. In Ternopil, he took under his care the street boy Stefan Zagorodnik.
Then he worked as a doctor in orphanages for Ukrainian children in Kiev, where he wrote the book "How to love a Child".
Korczak came back to Warsaw in 1918. There, he managed orphanages, educated, cooperated with different magazines, he was a lecturer at the Free Polish University and at Higher Jewish Pedagogical courses.
During the Polish-Bolshevik war (1919−1920), Korczak worked as a major of the Polish army in an epidemic hospital in Lodz.
In 1919−1936, he partook in the work of the boarding school "Our House", an orphanage for Polish children, where he also applied innovative pedagogical techniques.
In 1926−1932, Korczak arranged for the children and young people to publish their own newspaper Mały Przegląd [Little Review], as a weekly attachment to the daily newspaper Nasz Przegląd [Our Review].
Jewish activity
In 1899 Korczak was a guest at the Second Zionist Congress. He respected ideas of Theodor Herzl, but he couldn’t accept it. He considered himself a Pole in everything but religion. Henrik considered that the religion was personal matter for everyone. He expected, as a great miracle, the independence of Poland and believed in the complete assimilation of the Jews. The Bloody Jewish pogroms organized by Polish nationalists in 1918−1919. These events made Korczak deeply disappointed.
With Hitler’s accession to power in Germany and the growth of anti-Semitism in Poland, Korczak felt the jewish self-awareness. He became the Polish non-Zionist representative in the Jewish Agency. In 1934 and 1936, he visited mandatory Palestine, where he met many of his former foster children. He was inspired by pedagogical and social concept of organization of kibbuz. In 1937 he wrote in his letter:
"I'm going to Israel around May. I will stay in Jerusalem for a year. I have to learn the language, and after that, I am going wherever I will be invited… It was the most difficult decision. I’m dreaming about me sitting in a small dark room with a Bible, a textbook, a Hebrew dictionary… There, even the most unpleasant person won’t judge you just because you are jew."
