Commissioner Hammarberg pay tribute to Korczak in Warsaw

Invitation
Shalom Foundation
WARSAW, Pl. Grzybowski 12/16
November 20, at 1 p. m.

On International Children's Day, the Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg is organising a lecture on children's rights, and paying tribute to Janusz Korczak's achievements. [Photo © Council of Europe]

Already last year, on the same Universal Children's Day, the Commissioner Hammarberg had organized a ceremony in memory of Janusz Korczak at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, with the presence of the Permanent Representative of Poland to the Council of Europe, Mr. Piotr Świtalski.

"The life of Janusz Korczak, his work and his solidarity with children are permanent lessons on how to practice the rights of the child. It has taught us to listen to children and to allow them to contribute to society", stated the Commissioner.

It is an important political act that the repeated tributes of the Commissioner for Human Rights of Council of Europe makes in relation to defend the rights of the child and to explain their relevance and importance to adults and institutions in the fields of prevention of violence and education. With reference to the Korczak international movement as for those who know the commitment of Janusz Korczak throughout his life.

________________
Notes
The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent institution within the Council of Europe, mandated to promote the awareness of and respect for human rights in 47 Council of Europe member states.
The press release and the Commissioner's speech will be posted on its website : http://www.coe.int/t/commissioner/Default_EN.asp

Links
Fundacja Shalom: http://www.shalom.org.pl
Pl. Grzybowski 12/16, 00-104 Warszawa, Tel. 022 620 30 36/37

• 20/11/06 at Strasbourg, the first Korczak ceremony in the Council of Europe
• More on Janusz Korczak : In English : http://korczak.info - In Polish : http://pskorczak.webpark.pl
In french : http://korczak.fr

About Korczak's date deportation

Roman Romuald Wroblewski, the son of an eminent witness of Korczak, wishes to draw our attention to the exact date of the deportation of Janusz Korczak and children.

[Its e-mail of August 12, coming from Sweden where he live]:

“Remember that it was on 5 August 1942 (not 6 or other date) when Korczak's orphanage was deported to Treblinka extermination camp. There were some persons claiming that it was on 6 of August. Now there is a general agreement that deportation was on Wensday 5th of August.

Among persons that saw Korczak on that day (around noon) was my mother (it was her birthsday) and my father (Misha Wasserman) who left orphanage early in the morning that day.
For some year ago I interviewed several persons that saw "Korczak Orphanage" on their way to Umschlagsplatz to find out right day, the way they went. There was no green flag and they were nor procession!”

Its email starts again the polemic on this exact date. Among the witnesses of August 6, that of Marek Rudnicki (one French painter who was there this day on Umschlagplatz) had been considered to be convincing. Other testimonys would be they still possible? Please, let’s know!