Korczak’s Children

Tonight we attended the Olympia Family Theater‘s performance of Korczak’s Children. Synopsis for those unfamiliar with the story:

World War Two. The Nazi Occupation of Poland. Dr. Janusz Korczak — writer, educator, physician, and passionate advocate for children — tries to keep the 400 Jewish boys and girls of his famed Warsaw orphanage alive and hopeful in the face of unbelievable deprivation and terror. In the horrible conditions of the Jewish Ghetto, Korczak does everything within his power to make sure his children are fed and clothed, cared for and safe. But there are rumors of a change in the ghetto. Tales of deportations to concentration camps are spreading. And Korczak knows time may be running out. Against the rules of the ghetto, he permits his orphans to stage a magical play — The Post Office — to teach them about the one adult subject he has not yet broached with them: death. As the play is rehearsed, the rumors become reality, and Korczak must decide who can be saved and who must go on the final journey together.

Dark. Sad. Disturbing. Painful. But real, and written and performed with children in mind, though the children in mind were not necessarily as young as ours.

We were talking about it on the drive home, how quickly and easily Hitler came to power and seduced so many with his vile and repulsive lies. And how vitally important it is for us–especially us as homeschoolers–to teach the truth about what happened during World War Two. Revisionists will continue to attempt to minimize, obscure, and erase the memories of what happened, and we cannot allow that to happen. The Holocaust did happen, and tens of millions of people were killed based on race, religion, and the Hitler’s insatiable lust for power. Those who believe something similar could never happen again are simply naive.

This play brings the whole of the Nazi atrocities into one very real, very relateable, very personal example…the impact of which is unmistakeable. And powerful.

As always, the Olmpia Family Theater did an excellent job, especially considering the large number of children in the performance. Whether you see it here (runs through Feb 1st, details on their site at the link above) or elsewhere, you should see this play.

Tonight we attended the Olympia Family Theater‘s performance of Korczak’s Children. Synopsis for those unfamiliar with the story: World War Two. The Nazi Occupation of Poland. Dr. Janusz Korczak — writer, educator, physician, and passionate advocate for children — tries to keep the 400 Jewish boys and girls of his famed Warsaw orphanage alive and…