Yanush Korchak

Yanush Korchak (Wikipedia)

Life is the most precious gift, and the Hero is the one who gives it for the others. Yanush Korchak, Polish kid's writer, is the right person to prove that. And now, when the Second World War is so far away, we should remember those who showed the complete courage and heroism having just one goal - to make somebody feel less bitter.

Yanush Korchak was a principle of a school for Jewish kids who lost their parents. Every day he had to think what food he would give them, living in the occupied Warsaw. But also the other aim of an old doctor was to make his kids happy with only the help of his love and understanding. Korchak opened the door to childhood - and left it wide open for us in his books.

So, as we've already told, in those times there was the Second World War. The Nazis decided to send poor Jewish children to Treblinka death camp - maybe, the worst place you can imagine. That was the place where grownups, and - lots of children - were to be killed as those who were of no use for their new world. And the principle followed his students in their last journey...

Some of Korchak's students murdered in Treblinka (Photo credits to: Ghetto Fighters Kibbutz, and Simon Wiesenthal website from where these photos were obtained.)

Yanush Korchak had a chance to run away: a Nazi officer, who used to read his books being a child himself, wanted to rescue him and told the writer to leave the train to Treblinka and go away. But the man called Yanush Korchak could not betray the kids who needed the last warm words. So they all took their places on the Death train... Some time later all the children with their old principle went to die in the gas chamber. They were among other 300,000 children murdered there by the Nazis!

There are lots of really nice people on this planet. But there are some of them who were living angels for those who needed their love and care even more than life. Yanush Korchak is our hero and we really hope that he can be a Hero for everyone.