Where are your heroes: in books, films or nearby?

By Ida Margolis, GenShoah Chair

You may know that I was a teacher in a public school, a university instructor and a social studies supervisor. So, you might guess that I have a bias regarding the important work that teachers do and the impact that a great teacher can make. Recently, you may have heard about unsung heroes of the pandemic and that teachers have been included in the list of those who have helped so many so much during this past year.

Books about and by teachers have always been among my favorites. I wrote about rabbis and other clergy as heroes. “Rabbi” is often defined as teacher, and you may recall that, recently, I wrote about Rabbi Ariel Burger’s excellent book, “Witness,” subtitled “Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom.” Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, author, Nobel Laureate and activist, was also considered a brilliant and master teacher.

I am currently reading a book by Michael Sandel, who isone of the most popular professors at Harvard. Thousands of students have attended his Justice class and, through the miracle of technology, millions of people around the world have viewed his course.

My first hero article was about artist Friedl Dicker-Brandies, who used her skills to teach children at Terezin concentration camp. She was sent to Auschwitz- Birkenau with 30 of her students, where they all perished.

Ruby Bridges and her teacher, Mrs. Barbara Henry

I have always been moved by the stories of two very different teachers, both of whom I consider heroes, Janusz Korczak and Mrs. Barbara Henry. Korczak was a pediatrician who designed a unique orphanage for Jewish children in Warsaw. In 1940, when the Germans created the Warsaw ghetto, the orphanage was forced to move to the ghetto. In August 1942, German soldiers took the approximately 200 children and staff to the Treblinka extermination camp.

Korczak was told he could go the Ayran side of the ghetto, but he refused to leave “his children.” Witnesses have said that these children were dressed in their best clothes and carried a knapsack and a toy as they were forced to march through the ghetto to the Umschlagplatz (deportation point to the death camps). There is a legend that an SS officer recognized Korczak as the author of one of his favorite children’s books and offered to help him escape. There are other versions of the legend, but what is known is that Korczak refused to leave his children. He boarded the trains with them and was never heard from again. It is believed that he and the children were likely all gassed at Treblinka.

There is a beautiful andtouching monument to commemorate Korczak at the site of the orphanage in Warsaw. The monument was finally unveiled on Children’s Day, June 1, 2006, at a state event attended by dignitaries, including the President of the Republic of Poland. There are beautiful books and films available about this heroic teacher, including a book titled “Janusz Korczak: The Man Who Knew How to Love Children.”

I find it so distressing to read that only one teacher was willing to teach a certain 6-year-old child in 1960. The child was Ruby Bridges, the little Black girl who was given permission by a judge to attend the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. Many, many people have seen either a film, photo, painting or book about brave Ruby Bridges, as she entered the school accompanied by federal marshals, while crowds of angry whites gathered outside the school. They called her names, carried signs and shouted at little Ruby.

Monument commemorating Korczak and “his children” at the site of the orphanage in Warsaw, by Jan Bohdan Chmielewski

Not one white family in the community would send their children to school, so Ruby was all alone, except for her teacher, Mrs. Barbara Henry. Mrs. Henry was the only white teacher willing to teach a Black child and she did so for a year, though Ruby was the only child in her class. As an adult, Ruby recalled that “even though there were mobs outside that school every day for a whole year, the person that greeted me every morning was (my teacher), a white woman who actually risked her life as well.” And Ruby noted, “Mrs. Henry was the nicest teacher I ever had.”

There are many heroes and villains in the story of Ruby Bridges, and certainly Mrs. Henry is a hero, as was Ruby. If you have 10 minutes, you can read the beautifully illustrated children’s book written by famous child psychiatrist, Robert Coles.

This is the last of my articles for the Heroes, Heroines and Helpers series. In my first article, I wrote that recent research has found that hero stories energize and inspire people, and can even heal psychic wounds. I think it is always a good time to learn about heroes and to thank all of heroes in our midst, especially the unsung heroes of the pandemic.

Michael Sandel writes about justice and what is the right thing to do. We all have the opportunity to do the right thing. You just may be a hero to someone.