Director's Notes from Korczak's Children

 This is the program notes from Korczak's Children. Dad and I wrote it, but several people who's opinions I value really appreciated, so I thought I'd share here too.

We love stories that show the virtues of mankind in the face of adversity and overwhelming circumstances. When a hero is exemplary in their care for others even to the point of death, we are inspired by their unselfish commitment and compassion. It is all the more powerful when that story is true.

Tonight’s performance is the true story of Dr. Janusz Korczak, a Polish, Jewish pediatrician, educator, children's author and pedagogue. He operated orphanages during the German occupation of Poland during WWII. 350,000 Jews in were confined to a “Jewish Ghetto” surrounded by fences and barbed wire.

This reminds us of the history of the Jewish people, one of abuse, imprisonment, slavery, and death. One goal in our retelling of this part of history is to quell the rise of antisemitism by remembering the tragic events surrounding the Holocaust and combat the rewriting of history so that our young people believe this quote by George Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher and writer: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

But the point of remembering is not to look back. The point is to gather truth, beauty, and hope for moving forward. By remembering Korczak, we want to inspire you to become people like him, ready to value each individual you encounter, no matter what age, race, or gender they are. We want to encourage you to make the world a better place by doing what is right, even if you never see the results of your work. We want to show you that living for the benefit of others, even to the point of sacrificing our comfort, money, and sometimes even our lives, is imitating another Jewish man, who gave up his life as an atonement for our sins, giving all who will follow Him the name “Children of God.”