I am almost on my way to Israel, with 3 days left to start work there for two weeks. There will be visits to numerous archives and also meetings with Swedish Maapilim and interviews for my book. Numerous questions need to be answered during my stay in Israel!
- How did Cesia Grinbaum from Korczaks Orphanage who left the Warsaw Ghetto just before Gross Action in 1942 survive the Holocaust?
- How did the photographs of Korczak survive WWII?
- Is Korczak in the photo above from 1942 repairing the socks?
I will therefore visit the Ghetto Fighters House Archives as the Photo archives there are the primary source of the Cesia Grinbaum (Chana Mendel) photos. Before my Israel trip, I discussed the case "Cesia" with Marta Ciesielska - chief curator at the Korczakianum studio of the Museum of Warsaw
Marta Ciesielska was for years, sorry decades, involved in the documentation of Korczak's life and works. She met most of Korczak's children and co-workers. One of them was Cesia (Cela) Grynbaum (Grinbaum) in Israel in March 2005. According to Marta, Cesia and her mother (Regina?) survived the Gross action in the Warsaw Ghetto (1942) and left the Ghetto afterward. They split. After WWII ended Cesia succeeded in reaching one of the DP camps in Germany. In Germany, she met her future husband with the surname Mendel (Mandel). It is unknown when she married him, in Germany, in Cyprus, or in Israel. Cesia mentioned to Marta Ciesielska that she was imprisoned in the British camp in Cyprus before she arrived in Eretz Israel. That means that Cesia tried to reach Israel on an emigrant ship, illegally. She was Maapilim!
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| One of my Israeli friends did a brief search for Cesia. Amir wrote: Hana Mendel' formerly Cesia Grynbaum of Korczak orphanage, was born to Abraham and Regina in 1926 and arrived in Israel in 1948. She lived in Kiryat Bialik... I have not located any family or her relatives for info. The photos of the album have short descriptions in Hebrew by Lochamei Hagetaot Museum - need translation? Another friend, Eli found one of the sons of Cesia and I got some articles about her in Hebrew. |
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| Janusz Korczak with several of his young charges, in summer camp Goclawek. It is most likely that it is Cesia (enlarged on the left photo) that stands close to Korczak. |
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Cesia or someone from the Ghetto Fighters House Archives wrote the date, actually just the year, 1939 on this particular photo of Janusz Korczak. Some of the "Korczak-knowers" present this photo as Korczak in the Warsaw Ghetto. Personally, I call this picture - Korczak repairing the socks.
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Why am I interested in the fate of Cesia? Cesia actually donated several of the most interesting photos of Korczak and from summer camp in Goclawek to the Ghetto Fighters House Archives, see below.
Collecting more information about Cesia during the Holocaust might give us an answer about the origin of these photographs and help us to make a proper annotation, place, and year.
One of my Israeli friends did a brief search. Amir wrote:
Hana Mendel' formerly Cesia Grynbaum of Korczak orphanage, was born to Abraham and Regina in 1926 and arrived in Israel in 1948. She lived in Kiryat Bialik... I have not located any family or her relatives for info. The photos of the album have short descriptions in Hebrew by Lochamei Hagetaot Museum - need translation?
I got these Israeli newspaper clippings. This is a confirmation of what Cesia said when meeting Marta Ciesielska from Korczakianum. In the Israeli newspaper, she is described herself as a girl in the photo to the right of Korczak.
Otherwise, there are several other children from Korczak's Orphanage living in Israel described in newspaper articles, a.o. by Belfer. Belfer's descriptions of him being the only survivor are somewhat special. Especially, when Szlomo Nadel, Skalka, and Cesia were still alive. Belfer's particular behavior was likely to increase his own value and also the value of his paintings...
I wonder what "EAR" will find in her husband's book. We will definitely find out where it is located. I will certainly visit again the Ghetto Fighters House Archives.
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| Cesia or someone from the Ghetto Fighters House Archives wrote the date, actually just the year, 1939 on this particular photo of Janusz Korczak. Some of the "Korczak-knowers" present this photo as Korczak in the Warsaw Ghetto. Personally, I call this picture - Korczak repairing the socks. Here on the page from the Polish Korczak Association, there is another date and a reference to the Warsaw Ghetto. |
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Janusz Korczak with several of his young charges, in the yard of the orphanage in Warsaw (Should be Goclawek). In the photo: Mira Kaspi (to Korczak's right) and Cesia Grinbaum. Photographed in August 1938.
Note: Cesia Grinbaum's name today - Chana Mandel. According to Cesia, she is the girl standing close to Korczak. |
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Mendel Chana - Grinbaum Cesia - Cesia or someone from the Ghetto Fighters House Archives wrote the date on each photo, actually just the year. Some of the "Korczak-knowers" present photos dated 1939 of Korczak in the Warsaw Ghetto. Personally, I call this picture - Korczak repairing the socks and Korczak Reading the newspaper.
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The Jewish population of Poland on the eve of the Second World War numbered about three and a half million - 3 500 000, including one million children up to the age of fourteen, 1 000 000. Of over 3 000 000 Polish Jews deported to Nazi concentration camps, only about 30 000 survived. The total number of Polish Jewish survivors, including Russian territory in all likelihood never exceeded 350 000.
So, in reality, how many Jewish children survived the Holocaust on Polish soil? How many of 1 000 000 Not 1%, not 0,01% but below 0.01%. 1% of 1 000 000 is 10 000.
0.1% is 1 000.
As mentioned, the majority of surviving Jewish children returned to Poland with Jews repatriated from the USSR in 1946. The number of child survivors in homes reached its peak in the summer of 1946 when about 3,300 children resided in fifty Zionist Children Orphanages called kibbutz located throughout the country. Many Zionist Children's Orphanages left Poland after the Kielce pogrom in 1946. The first goal was to reach DP camps and thereafter to try to reach Eretz Israel, legally or illegally.
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| Cesia. Probably after the liberation of Bialystok in June 1944. |
