ALL THOSE who come in contact with him through his books, his thoughts, and his life story are as if infected by some rare disease that penetrates to the very marrow, the heart, and leaves a lasting and indelible scar. Those who are still alive today and who had the pleasure of knowing and working with him can testify to the intensity of his being, his involvement with his work, and the richness of his ideas. He was truly one of those rare persons destined for some shrine of remembrance because of his acts in behalf of his fellow man.
Janusz Korczak was born Henryk Goldszmit in Warsaw on July 22, 1878. He was a physician, writer, educator, lecturer, and teacher. For much of his adult life he was the director of two orphanages in Warsaw where, in addition to formulating a unique method of child upbringing based on self-government