At war's end, numerous orphaned Jewish children were living in rescuers' homes and Christian institutions, where they had been entrusted by their parents in an effort to save them. In many cases, these children had no living relatives and no one left to throw light on their families' fate.
In 1946, several Zionist movements established the Koordynacja (Zionist Coordination for the Redemption of Children in Poland), in order to facilitate the return of rescued children to the Jewish fold. The Koordynacja was founded to retrieve children hidden with Polish families and in convents during the war, and also assisted repatriation orphans – children of Jews who were evacuated deep into the USSR when the Nazis invaded, and now had no one to take care of them.
Members of the Koordynacja worked to extract children from the homes of their rescuers, a task that was often fraught with difficulties. As well as the problems of searching for and locating the children, the young orphans often resisted being taken away by strangers. They had forgotten their parents and previous identities, and had become very attached to their rescuers and their families. On occasion they were also afraid to be affiliated to the Jewish people after years of being hunted down and living in hiding.
Sometimes, it was the rescuers themselves who refused to part with the children they had bonded with, even declining offers of money. Members of the Koordynacja did their best to persuade them, but sometimes failed and left again without the children. In other cases, the children escaped from the children's homes and returned to their rescuers, or were taken back by rescuers who regretted their decision to relinquish them. When the two sides reached a deadlock, the Koordynacja workers would enlist the court's help in reaching a decision.
Children's homes were set up for retrieved children ages 3-13, where they received clothing, food and a Jewish, Zionist education. Living under assumed identities and in perpetual terror of being discovered, as well as the dependence on the kindness of strangers, had taken its toll on these children. Many reached the children's homes in a state of neglect and trauma, and required sensitive handling. Their counsellors attempted to alleviate their angst and distress, and to restore their faith in humanity.
As the children grew up, they were transferred to the Zionist movements that were part of the organization. The Koordynacja was run from an office in Lodz headed by Leibl Koriski. It was funded by the Va'ad Hatzala (Rescue Committee) in Jerusalem and the Joint Distribution Committee, and did not have governmental authorization for its activities. In November 1946 a once-off Koordynacja newspaper, Farn Yiddishen Kind (For Jewish Children) was published, with articles and a list of names of children being housed in the Koordynacja's children's homes.