Staff Notebook Safety First Korczak: A Jewish Hero T anusz Korczak was described in a recent story ("Not On Our Watch," May 2, page 14) as a non-Jewish children's advocate and protector in Poland during the Holocaust. In fact, not only was Janusz Korczak a Polish Jew born as Henryk Goldszmit, he was a well- known pediatrician, author and educator years before the German occupation of Poland. He introduced the first progressive orphanages in Poland, which were run like communities instead of institutions. He wrote books for chil- dren and parents and dispensed advice on his popular radio show as the "Old Doctor." Korczak also spent a great deal of time in juve- nile courts defending the rights of children. When the Germans arrived to take the 200 children living in his Warsaw orphanage to the Valerie Warner and Irina Yudovich hold their trophy death camps in Treblinka, Korczak marched the children through the main streets of the city, holding the youngest by their hands, singing as they walked with heads held high. puter, Cunningham said, Warner and Yudovich have Although he was offered several chances by his always given an oral presentation for their solution. many gentile friends and supporters to escape safely, The win is the first by a North Farmington team Korczak chose to stay with the children at the at DECA's career development conference. expense of his own life. — Alan Hitsky Many memorials to Janusz Korczak exist today throughout Europe, including several schools, hospi- tals and streets that bear his name. His books on children's rights laid the groundwork for the ids Kicking Cancer, the innovative program Declaration of Children's Rights adopted by the that uses martial arts to help children fight League of Nations in 1924. The Janusz Korczak back at potentially fatal diseases, will be a International Society in Poland hosts an annual edu- major beneficiary of a charity benefit to be held at cational conference each year to further his teach- downtown Pontiac's Phoenix Center Plaza. ings. Known as "Carnival for Courage," the benefit Newly published books and articles about this takes place 6-9 p.m., Thursday, May 29, the first Jewish hero, scholar and ardent children's advocate night of Pontiac's newly created JAMbalaya Festival. are appearing all the time, according to Dr. Stephen Family activities include food, concerts and con- Corrsin of West Bloomfield, who maintains an cessions with a New Orleans theme, 25 carnival extensive bibliography of Polish-Jewish history. rides and a 30,000-square-foot interactive exhibit "He had courage beyond courage, an incredible man," said Erna Gorman of Bloomfield Hills, one of from the National Basketball Association. An adults-only party will follow at Pontiac's Sevin the founders of the Detroit branch of the Hidden Night Club, located at 40 W. Pike St. The evening Child Foundation. will raise funds for Kids Kicking Cancer and other — Ronelle Grier programs for children in local hospitals. Founded by Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg, who has a black belt in karate, KKC is a nonsectarian program that teaches traditional karate moves, along with wo seniors at North Farmington High techniques of breathing, relaxation and visualization, School, who have been a business competi- to help alleviate acute and chronic pain. The classes, tion team for three years, took top honors at held at hospitals, .clinics and patients' homes, give the international DECA conference in Florida two children a sense of control over what seem like over- weeks ago. whelming odds. Valerie Warner and Irina Yudovich won first place Tickets for the Carnival of Courage, including in the travel and tourism management decision- complimentary food and drink rickets, start at $50 making category. and may be purchased by mail, telephone, The competition includes a 100-question multi- ple-choice test on their category and general market- Ticketmaster or on the Web. Sponsorship packages are also available. For more information on the May ing. Then they confront a case problem related to the travel industry. They have 30 minutes to devise a 29 event, or to purchase tickets, call (248) 203- 9991, or visit www.kidskickingcancer.net solution and 20 minutes to present their solution to To learn about the JAMbalaya Festival, which will a judge. run from Friday, May 30 through Sunday, June 1, North Farmington DECA coach Cathy call (248) 334-4600, or visit Cunningham said the two have qualified for the he annual Yeshivas Darchei Torah Health and Safety Expo is a time to check your hearing and your posture — and to see if your bike is in tiptop shape. There will be fire engines and an ambulance to explore, and Detroit Edison's 'Arcs and Sparks" will present an electrifying show that explores the effects of electric voltage on wet ropes, kite string, tree branches and the human body. It takes place noon-4 p.m., Sunday, May 18, at the Darchei Torah campus, 21550 W. 12 Mile Road in Southfield. As part of the expo, the school will offer a four-ses- sion class for girls in babysitting and a Sunday after- noon course in CPR, with separate sessions for men and women. There will be a fee for these classes. For class information and registration, call Chanita Wiener at (248) 948-1080. — Diana Lieberman Israeli Business Forum T he U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service, presents "Exploring Business Opportunities in Israel" 7:30 a.m.- noon Thursday, May 22, featuring guest speaker Michael Richardson, senior commercial officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. Sponsored by the law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, PLC, the meeting will provide a briefing on best export prospects in the Israeli mar- ket and an opportunity to individually ask questions and meet with Richardson. Targeted to business leaders interested in interna- tional markets, the free event will take place at Miller Canfield's Troy office at 840 W. Long Lake Road, Suite 200. To register, or for more informa- tion, contact Eve Lerman, international trade spe- cialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce, at eve.lerman@mail.doc.gov or (248) 975-9605. —Keri Guten Cohen Teen Zionists/Artists 18 xpresso Yourself: A Night of Zionist Expression" will be held for teens 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, at Temple Kol Ami. Sponsored by Zionist Advocacy Program (ZAP), a burgeoning group of Zionist high school students from the Detroit area, the event will feature a Zionist arts competition, broken into song and poetry, visual arts and photo-cinema categories. The group will discuss Zionism, the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, and further possible activities the group can do. "We felt that it was important to show kids that there are means of advocacy that they might not think of," said group organizer Chad Rockind of the Agency for Jewish Education of Metropolitan Detroit. "Rallies, letter writing, editorials ... all of those things are effective and important, but the arts are often overlooked as a means of advocating for a cause." For more information, call Rockind at (248) 645- 7860 ext. 388. — Harry Kirsbaum 5/16 2003 14 - jr Carnival For Courage K Three's A Charm T international competition for three straight years. Although they have the option to use a laptop corn- WWW. pontiacfe s t ival s.com — Diana Lieberman