Żydowski Dom Dziecka w Otwocku
The Jewish Orphanage in Otwock

Summary/Abstract: The Jewish orphanage in Otwock was set up by Franciszka Oliwa in January 1945 and from March it officially operated as a unit of the Central Committee of Jews in Poland. The house ensured good care to the children (in 1947, a staff of 37 looked after 62 orphans. In their work the managers of the house tried to carry on the pedagogical tradition of Janusz Korczak, but in practice not much was left of his concept of children’s self-government.. The children carries a legacy of hardships of the war years, nearly all of them were in hiding, so it was accepted that they were entitled to special care. The orphanage’s financial situation was good thanks to the support from Joint. After 1947, the subsidies were scaled back, and in 1949 the orphanage was closed down.

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