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THE JANUSZ KORCZAK ASSOCIATION OF THE USA NEWSLETTER APRIL/MAY 2014 ! Janusz Korczak - Educational Moments Who We Are: reported by Mariola Strahlberg and Lauren Alleva. The Janusz Korczak Association of the USA founded by Mariola Strahlberg of Shining Mountain, is a member of the During March and April of 2014, ! International Korczak Association (IKA), Finkelstein Library in Spring Valley, NY The library staff was wonderful, adding whose roots date back to the Polish has hosted our exhibit entitled “Janusz to our exhibit by creating a cart of books Korczak Committee, founded in 1947. Dr. Korczak – Educational Moments”. related to Korczak and his orphaned Korczak, a pediatrician, children’s author, Besides 14 posters displayed on three children. We came up with an art project educator and humanitarian, was well- walls of a large conference room, we for the Remembrance Day based on a known in Poland and Europe for his added few of the original Hebrew posters famous Holocaust poem, The Butterfly, innovative work at his Orphans’ Home and one poster from 2013 Korczakowo. by Pavel Friedman and the staff of the and Our Home in Warsaw. Dr. Korczak, ! children’s department helped bring it to his assistant Stefania Wilczynska, and fruition. They set up several tables with approximately 196 children and nine staff paints and beautiful flowers and leaves members were taken to the Treblinka which children used to paint the death camp on August 5-6, 1942, and butterflies for the celebration. They even disappeared into its bowels, never to be used the project for one of their children’s seen again. After WWII, Korczak’s legacy programs during the month of April and as an educator and hero grew in Poland as created many butterflies for us to have at well as abroad. In April 2013, here in the the celebration. They loved the idea so United States we officially formed Janusz much that they set up two of their own Korczak Association of the USA. We ! exhibits based on butterflies and ! children’s holocaust poetry for the currently have 48 members. Thank you In one corner of the room, we created all for your support last year and please children’s department which were really Children’s Corner with a list of some of lovely. renew your membership dues to help the Children’s Rights and some questions us continue our work. For more for children to answer. Here are some of information about us please visit us at the questions we asked them: www.facebook.com/korczakUSA or at ! www.shiningmtnforkids.com A child is an intelligent young ! citizen, well aware of her/his Upcoming Events: needs, difficulties and obstacles of ! her/his own life. International Seminar devoted to Dr. What do you like about your school? Janusz Korczak entitled “Towards How do you learn best? ! Inclusive Education – Janusz Korczak What would you change in school to and the Convention on the Rights of the make your learning easier? ! The celebration was very special with Child – Article 2” on May 31st, 2014 at the If you were invited to write for your about 50 attendees, including many Mission of Poland in Geneva, Switzerland school newspaper, what would you write about? children who listened attentively to the ! Korczak story, joyfully participated in CATS Conference – Children As Actors ! the butterfly project and enjoyed healthy for Transforming Society, July 26th – As a member of a family or a school food. The adults were introduced to the August 2nd, 2014 in Caux, Switzerland class, you have certain responsibilities. exhibit and participated in the ! Remembrance Day activities. We ended Korczakowo Camp in Osno near What responsibilities do you have at with a reading of a Prayer for Children Zielona Gora, Poland – June 29th – home? by Ina J. Hughs and listening to a Jewish August 2nd, 2014 What responsibilities do you have in school? Partisan’s Anthem, Zog Nit Kayn’mol ! sung by Chava Alberstein while 7 candles New Jersey Core Curriculum ! were burning. A few adults commented Holocaust Teachers Conference at Social reflections. that they remembered that song from the Ramapo College, New Jersey - What are you grateful for today? their childhood. November 18, 2014 – This year, for the Who did something nice for you today and who would you like to thank? first time, this annual one-day conference ! Who did you offend today and need to will focus on Janusz Korczak. We are very grateful to the apologize to? library for hosting this exhibit ! Write one thank you and one sorry note. ! ! and for its beautiful ending. We ended the exhibit on April 27th with the celebration of the Holocaust Remembrance Day. PAGE "1 April/May 2014 THE JANUSZ KORCZAK ASSOCIATION OF THE USA NEWSLETTER APRIL/MAY 2014 There was a group of school children Agniesza showed Joyce Chlodna 33, one Mariola’s Interview visiting the Orphan’s Home that of the places Korczak and Stefa stayed with Joyce Reilly. particular day – how appropriate! The with the children during the war. There is Orphan’s Home is visited by many no building left there. She also pointed out ! Warsaw school children and many foreign Chlodna 20, where Adam Czerniakow Joyce Reilly, one of Shining Mountain’s visitors, mostly from Israel. (President of the Jewish community in the Board Members, visited Warsaw in ! Warsaw Ghetto) lived. He committed October 2013 on her way to a gathering Today there are 30 children living here. suicide upon finding out that Korczak and in Auschwitz. I asked Agnieszka Most of them come from dysfunctional his children would not be spared from Witkowska-Krych (adjunct in the families where alcohol, physical and final deportation “to the East” – as the Korczakianum Center for Documentation mental abuse, and unemployment do not Nazis proclaimed. They stopped at the and Research, a branch of The Historical provide the children with healthy home Palace of Culture and Science, the last Museum of Warsaw) to host Joyce’s visit life. They are considered social orphans. place Korczak and his children lived, and to show her some of the Warsaw There are plans to implement a new law where today only a small plaque and sights in connection with Korczak. in Poland that will move these children Korczak monument remind us of them. ! from living in a large institution such as At each building, Joyce walked around Agnieszka met Joyce in her hotel and they the Orphan’s Home to small group and had a feeling of emptiness - people walked to Dom Dziecka (Orphan’s homes, each with a teacher and a were missing, there was nothing there. Home) on Jaktorowska 6 Street (previously caretaker to provide a family-like setting ! Krochmalna 92 Street). They first visited for these children. After a few hours they stopped for coffee the Korczakianum, which is a library and ! and Agnieszka shared with Joyce her story administration area that houses thousands of how she connected with Korczak. of files in connection with Korczak’s life When she was in 5th grade, around 12 and legacy. There are over a thousand years old, she watched the black and white books by Korczak and about Korczak movie Korczak by Andrze Wajda. She was written in many languages, articles and traumatized by the last scene and cried for PhD Theses from many countries on the some time after seeing it. When she was subject of Korczak and a big exhibition older, she read some of Korczak’s room with photos of Korczak, Stefania writings, got interested in the history of Wilczynska and the children. There are Polish Jews, finished two faculties at the also writings on history of Warsaw and University of Warsaw (anthropology of Polish Jews. culture and Hebrew studies) and today she ! works at Korczakianum, doing research (see below the abstract of one of her articles) and providing information about Orphan’s Home to many Polish and foreign visitors. For example, she is currently preparing a talk to be given at a Culinary Conference where she will be speaking about diet in Orphan's Home. She is also finishing her PhD in History. ! This was an opportunity for Joyce and ! Anieszka to get to know one another, two ! women of different generations, language Next they visited the big hall. This is the ! and country, brought together through old dining room, which also served as a ! this extraordinary story of Janusz playroom. It is a bit smaller than the ! Korczak. original hall since after the war some of ! ! the walls in the Orphan’s Home were After visiting the building, Joyce and After a break, they went to visit the Old moved in order to adapt them to the new Agnieszka stepped out to the large Town. This is one of the major tourists institution. There is a wall at one end of courtyard where there is a statue of attractions and the place where Mariola the room that is covered floor to ceiling Korczak by the Polish sculptor Xaviery grew up. They saw Mariola’s house and with a giant photograph of the room full Dunikowsky. From there they had a most her favorite places to play and read. Joyce of children, as it would have been in the extraordinary tour of Warsaw: they loved Warsaw and her special Korczak early years of the 20th Century. The followed the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto walls. experience, and most especially meeting children are looking out at the visitors Today there are no walls, just lines made Agnieszka and her passion for the history then and now, dangling their feet and out of bricks on the sidewalks to mark the of this unique time in history.