Going to School

At the age of six, I started elementary school in the first grade. The school day began with a religious prayer, and the other children crossed themselves. I felt uncomfortable, and some of my classmates teased me, saying that I would have to cross myself too. That upset me very much; I was the only Jewish student in the school.

The second problem was that we had six days of school. My family and I were Orthodox Jews, but this did not excuse me from going to school on the Sabbath. I attended the classes on those days but didn't write. I enjoyed school and received awards for excellent schoolwork. A teacher discovered my art ability and advised my parents to send me to an art school. Unfortunately, this was just not possible.