Janusz Korczak
Janusz Korczak, born Henryk Goldszmit on July 22, 1878, in Warsaw, Poland, was a prominent physician, writer, and advocate for children's rights. Recognizing the impact of his father's mental illness, he chose to dedicate his life to caring for children rather than having a family of his own. From 1904 to 1910, he worked in a Jewish children's hospital in Warsaw and co-founded The Orphan Home for Jewish Children in 1911, where he implemented a philosophy of child empowerment, allowing the orphans to make and enforce their own rules. Korczak also authored influential children's literature, such as "Król Maciuś Pierwszy" (King Matt the First), which explores themes of leadership and responsibility from a child's perspective.
During World War I, he served as a physician, and in the 1930s, he hosted a radio show advocating for children's welfare amid rising political tensions. Despite opportunities to escape during the Nazi occupation of Poland, Korczak chose to stay with the children in his care. Tragically, he and the orphans were sent to the Treblinka concentration camp in 1942, where they perished. Korczak's legacy endures through various societies established in his honor and the continued publication of his works, which remain influential in discussions of child rights and education.
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Janusz Korczak
Writer
- Born: July 22, 1878
- Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
- Died: August 1, 1942
- Place of death: Treblinka concentration camp, north of Warsaw, Poland
Biography
The writer known as Janusz Korczak was born Henryk Goldszmit on July 22, 1878, in Warsaw, Poland. His father, who died when Korczak was eighteen, suffered from mental illness, and Korczak concluded he should not have children of his own for fear his children might similarly suffer. Instead, he dedicated his professional life to caring for children. From 1904 to 1910 he was a physician in a Jewish children’s hospital in Warsaw, interrupted by a year’s service on a hospital train during the Russo-Japanese War.
In 1911, he and a colleague, Stefania Wilczynska, founded The Orphan Home for Jewish Children in Warsaw. Caring for the orphans would become his life’s work. In 1918 he cofounded another orphanage for Christian children in Warsaw, a city divided by political and ethnic hostilities. As director of The Orphan Home for Jewish Children, Korczak developed a philosophy of child empowerment. He encouraged the children to make and enforce the rules in the orphanage, teaching them to become independent and self-motivated.
During World War I, Korczak left the orphanage for a time to serve as a physician in the Russian army. While on the Eastern Front he contracted typhus. When his mother came to care for him, she fell ill and died.
In 1923, Korczak published a children’s book, Król Maciuś Pierwszy (Matthew the Young King, 1945; King Matt the First, 1986), the story of a country where the adults go to school and a child is the ruler. By the end of the book, King Matt has made several mistakes and has been exiled to a remote island. The book became a best-seller and was followed by another,Król Maciuś na wyspie bezludnej (1928; King Matt on the Desert Island, 1957), in which King Matt decides to improve the world by improving himself.
In addition to books for children, Korczak wrote several books and articles advocating for children’s protection. During the 1930’s he hosted a popular radio show in the character of The Old Doctor, calling for an end to political and religious tensions because they ultimately hurt children. His position of neutrality made him suspect by both Jews and non-Jews, and he was urged several times to immigrate to Palestine (now Israel) for his own safety. However, he refused to leave the children. After the Germans invaded Poland, Korczak resisted them publicly. In 1942, the Nazis took the Jewish orphans to the Treblinka concentration camp. Although he had an opportunity to escape, Korczak went with the children, all of whom died in Treblinka. Korczak also was killed in the camp in August, 1942.
Korczak published many children’s books and volumes about the psychology and education of children. During his lifetime, he was among the most well-known writers in Europe. After his death, Janusz Korczak Societies were established in more than a dozen countries, including the United States, to honor and continue his advocacy for children. The King Matt books have been reissued and are available in many school libraries.