The NewsleTTer of The Janusz KorczaK AssociATioN of cANAdA NUMBER 5 • SEPTEMBER 2007 Our Goals Thank-you The objectives of the Janusz Membership Fee We would like to express our deep Korczak Association of Canada are gratitude for the support of the fol- as follows: The membership fee of the Janusz lowing people and institutions: * To foster the recognition of Janusz Korczak Association of Canada is Consulate General of the Republic Korczak’s life and work $10 per year, payable by cheque. of Poland in Vancouver and in par- Please mail to: * To familiarize Canadians with his ticular, Consul General, Mr. Maciej heroism during World War II, and Mrs. Gina Dimant Krych his staunch defense of children’s #203 – 5455 West Boulevard The Vancouver Holocaust rights. Education Centre and especially, Vancouver, BC * To disseminate Korczak’s peda- Executive Director, Mrs. Frieda gogical ideas and their effect on V6M 3W5 Miller children’s education. Canada Vancouver Numismatic Society New members are very welcome! St. Georges School of Vancouver Our Tasks S. Heller Ltd., P. Heller Ltd. Projects developed in P. Aders-Mirabel, M. Bleszynska, 2006/2007 Our Contacts L. Boraks-Nemetz, L. Broitman, • A talk How I Remember Janusz the Dabrowski family, Z. Fitzerald, Korczak by Dr. Ludovic (Ludwik) M. Glass, R. Goldman, E. Kozar, Mirabel. Mr. Jerry Nussbaum R. Mirabel, E. Poznanski, the Radziszewski family, C. Romney, #203 – 5455 West Boulevard • Participation in hosting a Montreal S.Vanry, S. Wilson, the Zwiercan author, Irene Tomaszewski. Vancouver, BC family. • Participation in organizing a V6M 3W5 concert of a Polish singer Slawa Przybylska (Warsaw). Canada On the Front Cover • Exhibit of the Holocaust and tel. 604.733.6386 Mrs. Gina The Holocaust memorial at Dimant Janusz Korczak medals and coins, the Schara Tzedek cemetery and a talk How I Built My Collection fax. 604. 264. 8675 by an American collector Severin in Vancouver where Janusz e-mail: [email protected] Szperling. Korczak’s name was placed. • The International Exhibition of Photo by J. Nussbaum. Children’s Art My World and I at the Consulate General of the Republic The publication of this issue of the of Poland in Vancouver. Newsletter was made possible by the generous financial support of • Further support of Polish orphan- Dr. Yosef Wosk (Vancouver). Thank ages. you! Editor: Olga Medvedeva-Nathoo Projects to be developed in Editorial Board: Lilian Boraks- 2007/2008 The Editorial Board thanks other Nemetz, Malgorzata Burczycka, members of our Association Jozef • Further promotion of Korczak’s Marta Burczycka, Krzysztof Zalewski and Sandy Cameron, as legacy in Canada through talks, Szafnicki well as Jonathan Nussbaum and workshops and publications. Holly-Lynne Elash for their kind Logo: Andrzej Brakoniecki • A public discussion How to Love a assistance in preparation of this Graphic Design: Riaz Merchant, Child. Newsletter. [email protected] • An event Honouring Irena Sendlerowa. 2 The Janusz Korczak Association of Canada JANusz KorczAK iN cANAdA The Promised Land of Maly Przeglad A talk delivered by Dr. Ludwik Mirabel to members and sympathizers of our Association Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre May 21, 2006 By Chris Szafnicki The Janusz Korczak Monument at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem (Fragment). Photo by C. Szafnicki This unusual meeting was dedicated to personal ers, if you were at this fascinating meeting, then thank memories of Janusz Korczak. The major speaker for you for coming. If you were not, we hope this short the evening was Mr. Ludwik Mirabel, a medical doc- report will help you to catch up on the event." tor who belongs to an ever shrinking group of people who knew Janusz Korczak personally. In the pre-WWII days Dr. Mirabel was one of the young contributors to Maly Przeglad (The Little Review), a unique newspaper established by Korczak and written by children. On Dr. Mirabel's accomplishments and reminiscences of the times past see the section "Korczak's Traces in Canada" of the current issue of the Newsletter, p. 32-47 Other presenters were: a Holocaust survivor Lilian Boraks-Nemetz who shared with us her Warsaw Ghetto memories of the days when Janusz Korczak took care of Jewish orphaned children. This was followed by Iwona Haskins, who worked in the 1980's at one of the Warsaw's orphanages Our Home where Korczak was vice-principal for education. Later on Dr. Chris Szafnicki gave an account of his highly emotional experiences at the Yad Vashem Children Memorial in Jerusalem featuring an impressive out-door sculp- ture of Janusz Korczak and his children. The meet- ing ended with a charming reading from Korczak's book King Matt the First by the youngest member of our Association eleven year old Natasha Haskins. When asked to contribute to the current issue of the Ludwik Mirabel makes his presentation for korczakians in Van- Newsletter about the meeting Natasha said: "Dear read- couver. Photo by M. Burczycka The Janusz Korczak Association of Canada 3 JANusz KorczAK iN cANAdA A Choice to Fight The Irene Tomaszewski night in Vancouver Vancouver Public Library, August 1, 2006 By Olga Medvedeva-Nathoo Our Association, together with the Episode Group and its indefatigable leader Mrs. Irena Gostomska hosted Irene Tomaszewski, a Quebec author and translator, and a founder of the Canadian Foundation for Polish Study in Montreal. Mrs. Tomaszewski presented two of her books Inside a Gestapo Prison: The Letters of Krystyna Wituska, 1942-1944 (which Irene translated and edited; English edition 2006) and Zegota. The Council for Aid to Jews in Occupied Poland 1942-45 which she wrote in cooperation with Tecia Werbowski; 1999 revised edition), and a documentary Land of My Mother. The letters, along with an introduc- Irene Tomaszewski in Vancouver. tion, provide historical background Photo by T. Szymanska to Krystyna's arrest; constitute a lit- loss of her cellmates who were exe- tle-known and authentic record of the cuted one after another. And Eros treatment of ethnic Poles under German and Thanatos contended with each occupation, and the experience of Polish other in her passionate letters: her prisoners in German custody. They also heart was being broken by love and reflect Krystyna's own courage, ideal- death… ism, faith, and a sense of humor. There are no random words in What makes this small book about Krystyna’s letters. They are simple WWII, one out of thousands writ- but precise. As is a clover flower ten on this topic, outstanding? that she used to draw at the end of Perhaps that is the drama that pen- her letters. Interesting enough this etrates every page of Krystyna’s let- flower was a favourite of Korczak’s, ters. This is not only the drama of the one used as a logo of his choice: to risk her life and to fight Orphanage. Just a small sign of the for the rights of her people and for values they shared. the sake of justice or just to survive. An introduction to the book writ- "Inside a Gestapo Prison" is a collec- This is also the drama of the rela- tion of 96 letters written by a twenty ten by Irene Tomaszewski, creates tionships between Krystyna and her an excellent context for Krystyna’s year old Polish girl Krystyna Wituska. German female guard at Moabit: Krystyna, a member of the resistance letters. It contains many figures those who were supposed to be a and numbers in regards to the Nazi underground movement in Warsaw victim and an executor became occupation of Poland 1939-1945: in the times of the Nazi occupation, friends. A female guard supported destroyed buildings, books burnt, was assigned to collect information on Polish girls-prisoners putting her people killed… But even these sta- German troops' movement at Warsaw's own life at stake. Dramatic were tistics make readers cry – isn’t it the airport. In 1942, she was arrested by also relations between Krystyna and best introduction that an author the Gestapo. The letters had been writ- her mother. The daughter knew could produce? ten during her 18 months confinement that she was going to die soon and in the Gestapo Prison first in Warsaw was strong enough to comfort her Highlights of the evening were the and later at Moabit in Berlin before she mother in her letters: “My little presentation of the book excerpts was executed. The letters were preserved one…” – their roles were switched. by a young Montreal actress, Alexi by Krystyna's family. Krystyna was going through a tragic Marchel and the discussion between the author and the audience. 4 The Janusz Korczak Association of Canada JANusz KorczAK iN cANAdA Songs of Her Childhood The Slawa Przybylska Concert Norman Rothstein Theatre January 29, 2007 for drama. I went to the concert for a few rea- sons. My grandfather had survived four years in Auschwitz only to be killed in Flossenburg-Leitmeritz Camp, just weeks before Auschwitz was liberated. I attended this con- cert in his memory and in the mem- ory of many other people senselessly killed by the Nazis. I also wanted to hear Slawa performing songs in Hebrew and Yiddish which emulate a true and tragic beauty. Her per- formance was so touching, that you did not have to know the words in order to understand emotions that every song conveyed. It takes a great Slawa Przybylska with her husband Jan Krzyzanowski and a Vancouver com- artist to achieve that as only great poser and pianist Ryszard Wrzaskala (left) art can evoke feelings of sorrow and On the International Holocaust and she sang them in honour of her hope in the same moment. Remembrance Day, our schtetl Jewish neighbours who per- We would like to acknowledge our Association, together with the ished in the Holocaust.