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| Pan Misza Wasserman Wróblewski, after escaping the ghetto, joined the Red Army and later the First Polish Army (part of the Soviet Army) in 1944 (photo from October 1944), reaching the rank of officer and fighting in Berlin. |
Michał (Misza) Wasserman-Wróblewski (1911–1993), affectionately known as Pan Misza, was a Polish educator and close associate of Janusz Korczak.
Life and Career with Janusz Korczak
- Educator at the Orphans' Home: He worked at Korczak's Dom Sierot (Orphans’ Home) at 92 Krochmalna Street in Warsaw from 1931 until August 5, 1942.
- Holocaust Survival: He was the only teacher from the orphanage to survive the August 5, 1942, deportation to the Treblinka extermination camp. He escaped death because he had been sent out for work duty outside the Warsaw Ghetto earlier that morning.
- Military Service: After escaping the ghetto, he eventually joined the Red Army and later the first Polish Army (part of the Soviet Army) in 1944, reaching the rank of officer and fighting in Berlin.
Legacy and Later Life
- Post-War Leadership: In post-war Poland, he headed the Korczak Committee (Komitet Korczakowski) until 1968.
- Life in Sweden: In 1970/1971, he moved to Sweden (settling in Stockholm in 1979), where he founded the Korczak Living Heritage Association (Föreningen för Janusz Korczaks levande arv) to continue spreading Korczak’s pedagogical ideas.
- Recognition: He was honored by UNESCO for his work in education and for preserving the legacy of Korczak.
Commemoration
- A commemorative stone and a 1,000-tree plantation were established in the Korczak Forest near Jerusalem in his memory.
- His son, Roman Wróblewski, continues to document his father's life and work through publications and digital archives.