Janusz Korczak’s Kites
By Annette van de Kamp-Wright
Every Child Must Have a Kite
Do your children like fun and games?
What are their favorite games? Playing ball? Bicycling?
Why do you, who live down in the valley, ignore kites?
Every child in the valley must have a kite, for there is strong wind on the hill at Ein Harod.
You need all kinds of kites, and on every festive occasion you must fly scores, even hundreds of them, in all shapes and colors.
-Dr. Janusz Korczak
Dr Janusz Korczak was a famous Writer, Educator and Doctor, but became known as the ‘King of Children’ for his selfless work with orphans. He was born into a well-to-do family, but felt drawn to the poor and the hungry. While he was assimilated enough to consider himself Polish through and through, he motivated many of ‘his’ children during the 1930s to move to what was then Palestine. Although he had several opportunities to save his own life, Korczak chose to remain in the Warsaw Ghetto with his nearly 200 orphans. On August 6, 1942, they boarded the train to Treblinka. While he is famous mostly for the way he died, Janusz Korczak should be celebrated for the way he lived. A tireless advocate for children’s rights long before the Geneva Convention ever came into being, he wrote volumes on what children need and deserve from the adults that raise them.
Freedom, coupled with Jewish Identity, were important concepts to Dr. Korczak. In his Ghetto Diary, which was written during his years in the Warsaw Ghetto and subsequently hidden until it was smuggled out after WW II, he wrote many stories based on his own life. One such story tells of him being forbidden by his parents to play outside and associate with the neighborhood children. Instead of running outside, like he so desperately wanted, he was stuck inside, with a canary in a cage for his only playmate. When the canary died, he decided to bury his ‘friend’ in the courtyard. Influenced by the overwhelming Catholic presence in late 19th century Poland, he fabricated a cross to put on the bird’s grave. Another little boy told him he could not do this, because “the canary was Jewish. What was worse, so was he.” Dr. Korczak never forgot that moment of revelation, and dedicated his life to finding Jewish children a safe place in the world. When safe places could no longer be found, he went with them into the darkness.
On October 23rd, students, staff and parents at Friedel Jewish Academy ventured outside to enjoy a beautiful fall day and celebrate “Kites of Hope”. They flew kites in honor of Dr. Janusz Korczak, and all he has taught the world about how children should be treated. Since the early 1930’s children at Kibbutz Ein Harod have been making and flying kites based on an idea by Dr. Korczak. His philosophy was that “the wind is a gift to children”. Fitting with this tradition, the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum in Western Galilee has joined forces with Yad Layeled Children’s Memorial. A special day for making and flying kites has been designated during the holiday of Sukkot.
Beth Seldin Dotan, Director of the Institute of Holocaust Education, brought the initiative to Omaha in 2001. Dotan worked for the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum for three years, and was their Omaha Representative for two years after that. “It’s amazing to see this level of participation every year,” she says. “Even when we don’t expect it, it always turns out to be perfect kite-flying weather. It’s as if Dr. Korczak is watching us.” Dotan is also impressed with the students’ involvement, as well as their familiarity with Dr. Korczak: “they know who he is, and what he stands for. They are very familiar with the kite tradition, and come to expect it every year. Dr. Korczak belongs to them.”
Principal Cookie Katskee is enthusiastic about the annual kite flying: “The real significance of this event is the inclusion of all Jewish children in the Diaspora, as well as those in Israel,” she says, “because it represents freedom to us all. The children get to go outside, the leaves are blowing right along with the kites, and the weather always seems to cooperate. Once again, we had an absolutely perfect day.” Kindergartner Harper Gordman experienced freedom in an original way: her kite got stuck in a tree, and refused to come back down. It will stay there for now, as a constant reminder of the freedom that Dr. Korczak wanted for all our children.
