The deportation of Janusz Korczak, teachers and 239 children from the Orphanage at Sienna/Sliska street to Umschlagplatz is legendary. The last march was certified by many accounts and memories (not always coherent and credible in detail).
The legend continues to live its own life - in a mythologised version. However, the essence of this legend reflects the real truth about Janusz Korczak - that he was a solid moral authority for all those who looked up to him for guidance and hope.
In Władysław Szpilman's book The Pianist one can read following:
One day, around 5th August, when I had taken a brief rest from work and was walking down Gęsia Street, I happened to see Janusz Korczak and his orphans leaving the ghetto.
The evacuation of the Jewish orphanage run by Janusz Korczak had been ordered for that morning. The children were to have been taken away alone. He had the chance to save himself, and it was only with difficulty that he persuaded the Germans to take him too. He had spent long years of his life with children and now, on this last journey, he could not leave them alone. He wanted to ease things for them. He told the orphans they were going out in to the country, so they ought to be cheerful. At last they would be able to exchange the horrible suffocating city walls for meadows of flowers, streams where they could bathe, woods full of berries and mushrooms. He told them to wear their best clothes, and so they came out into the yard, two by two, nicely dressed and in a happy mood.
The little column was led by an SS man who loved
The legend continues to live its own life - in a mythologised version. However, the essence of this legend reflects the real truth about Janusz Korczak - that he was a solid moral authority for all those who looked up to him for guidance and hope.
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Sliska street during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Two years earlier on the 5th of August, 1942 from the building Sienna16/Sliska 9 entire Korczak orphanage was led to cattle cars and deported to the Treblinka death camp, Korczak, ten teachers and 239 children were led out by gate at the 9 Sliska street in the direction of Umschlagsplatz.
On this unique picture the two-storey house with a gap is just 9 Sliska building two years after the deportation of the Korczaks Orphanage.
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In Władysław Szpilman's book The Pianist one can read following:
One day, around 5th August, when I had taken a brief rest from work and was walking down Gęsia Street, I happened to see Janusz Korczak and his orphans leaving the ghetto.
The evacuation of the Jewish orphanage run by Janusz Korczak had been ordered for that morning. The children were to have been taken away alone. He had the chance to save himself, and it was only with difficulty that he persuaded the Germans to take him too. He had spent long years of his life with children and now, on this last journey, he could not leave them alone. He wanted to ease things for them. He told the orphans they were going out in to the country, so they ought to be cheerful. At last they would be able to exchange the horrible suffocating city walls for meadows of flowers, streams where they could bathe, woods full of berries and mushrooms. He told them to wear their best clothes, and so they came out into the yard, two by two, nicely dressed and in a happy mood.
The little column was led by an SS man who loved
children, as Germans do, even those he was about to see on their way into the next world. He took a special liking to a boy of twelve, a violinist who had his instrument under his arm. The SS man told him to go to the head of the procession of children and play – and so they set off. When I met them in Gęsia Street, the smiling children were singing in chorus, the little violinist was playing for them and Korczak was carrying two of the smallest infants, who were beaming too, and telling them some amusing story. I am sure that even in the gas chamber, as the Zyklon B gas was stifling childish throats and striking terror instead of hope into the orphans' hearts, the Old Doctor must have whispered with one last effort, ‘it's all right, children, it will be all right’. So that at least he could spare his little charges the fear of passing from life to death."
It is likely that the only truth in above description is the day of deportation, August 5th, 1942 and Korczaks name is also spelled correctly and it is true that Korczak, children and Orphanage staff were murdered upon arrival to death camp Treblinka.
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There was no "children loving SS-man", Korczak was not "carrying two smallest children" and there was no "Zyklon B" in Treblinka.
"Zyklon B" in Treblinka appear only in English translation. In Polish version it says: Z pewnością jeszcze w komorze gazowej, gdy gaz dławił już dziecięce krtanie, a strach zajmował w sercach sierot miejsce radości i nadziei, Stary Doktor ostatnim wysiłkiem szeptał im:
– To nic,dzieci! To nic… – by przynajmniej swym małym podopiecznym zaoszczędzić strachu przed przejściem z życia do śmierci.
