A Hero and the Holocaust: The Story of Janusz and His Children

Rating:
Summary: A Great Man Whose Strenghth Showed in a Time of Crisis
Review: This is a phenomenal book! Janusz Korczak, a writer, physician, and the ultimate child advocate, was also a great soul; indeed, if he had been born a Catholic he would be made a saint. He was a mixture of Dr. Benjamin Spock, Florence Nightingale, Patch Adams, and Mahatma Gandhi--rolled into one!

Choosing to stay with the orphans in the Jewish orphanage he directed, he protected the children through their forced move into the Warsaw Ghetto, and then to the death camp Treblinka. His diary is quoted throughout and we see a man who was very much afraid but who conquered his fears so that he could serve the tiny humanity in the person of the children in his care. Indeed, at one point he could have saved his own life if he had abandoned the children, but he refused to do so. The book ends with a quote from his diary which gives us true insight into his character: "I never wish anyone ill. I cannot. I don't know how it is done."

His life should have been one of happiness and fulfillment, of just deserved rewards for his goodness to others; however, like so many others, the Nazis terminated this great man far too soon. The illustrations are marvelous! They are rather like well done photographs.