Einstein Strikes Again – This Time at the Seattle Public Library
[image error]
“A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.” Albert Einstein
Yes, I am usually delusional, feeling indeed like I am a separate entity, living in time and space. But again, on Wednesday at the Seattle Downtown Library, my delusional bubble was popped, and I was yanked back into the reality of the Universe as described by Einstein. Yank makes this experience sound harsh. It was not. It was more like a nudge off a cliff into the vastness of all. It was another message that my decision to leave my law practice behind and write this book was what I am supposed to be doing.
First, two back-stories:
One: A few months ago, my Samke (Shtetl in Belarus) cousin Linda asked me if I would come to speak at her book club as they were reading My Souls is Filled with Joy. I, of course, said “yes.” It was a wonderful group of intelligent women who found the book meaningful. One of the women who was in the book club, Tatyana, brought two bottles of Kwas – a drink mentioned in the book as the type of bubbly drink produced by the Kwiatek family in Stoczek. Tatyana informed me that it’s a popular drink in Russia, her place of birth. We all tasted the bubbly brew. Honestly, it’s an acquired taste.
“Karen,” Tatyana said after the drinking party was over, “I am helping to organize a conference in Vancouver on Janusz Korczak. Would you be interested in speaking at this conference?”
“A whole conference about Janusz Korczak?” I asked with an eyebrow raise. “Why? I mean, I know he was a hero, going to Treblinka with the children of his orphanage and all, but a whole conference?”
“Oh, there are institutes all over the world that study Korczak’s educational philosophy and his approach to raising healthy, independent, children.”
Who knew? Not me, but “Sure,” I said, “I would love to participate.”
So, I did – I went to Vancouver one day in July and spoke to a group of educators about Treblinka, the place where Dr. Korczak and his orphans were murdered by the Nazis in August of 1942.
Two: In June I went to Poland to launch the Polish translation of My Soul is Filled with Joy and participate in the Ride for the Living – a 60-mile bike ride from Auschwitz to Krakow. Members of the Stys family came to the book launch event in Warsaw. Grzegorz Maleszewski, one of the heroes of my story, was there, and even spoke at the event. I was also honored to have a group of descendants of Helena Stys with us – grandchildren and great grandchildren! I took a photo with this group and everyone went home with a book.
Ok, now here is where we get to the nudge off the Universe cliff. This past Wednesday I had a book event at the Seattle Downtown Library. Tatyana and her husband came to the event – so nice. Towards the end of the presentation I shared that the book was translated into Polish and that I launched the Polish version this past June in Warsaw. One of the photos I showed was the one Helena’s descendants.
“Can you show me that slide from Warsaw again,” Tatyana asked after the Library presentation.
“Sure,” I responded.
I pulled up the photo on my computer and her fingers enlarged the center part of the photo.
[image error]
“Yes,” Tatyana said pointing to a woman third from the left, “that is Barbara, Barbara Sochal. She came to Seattle last August and spoke at our Korczak conference.”
We looked Barbara up on Facebook and indeed her name is Barbara Janina Sochal. The “Janina” is a giveaway. She must be Janina’s daughter and thus, Helena’s granddaughter. Amazing. Barbara and I are now friends on Facebook and Tatyana connected us via e-mail.
How crazy is that? A woman I met through my Samke cousin Linda has worked together with Janina’s daughter on a conference in Seattle about Janusz Korczak. Connection made on the fourth floor Seattle’s Downtown Library from a photo that I took in Warsaw.
Well Einstein, welcome to my Universe – we are all connected.
