I remember it clearly, Marcus was walking around with his groupies as Isaac and I were minding our own business, we were slightly glaring at each other. I saw Marcus approaching us with something behind his back , I somehow thought it wouldn’t be harmful to us , but I was completely wrong. Marcus threw a small bolder at Isaacs head with total full force, I saw Frau Heidelberg sitting by the window as I tried to help Isaac up with blood gushing out from the side of his head. She saw the entire event, I shouted out to Marcus “Look Marcus - your in trouble now!” I thought Frau Heidelberg was going to open the window to shout at Marcus, but all she did was walk away. Marcus just laughed hysterically and picked up a more sharp rock to chase us with , we ran across the field to the classroom where Frau Heidelberg was about to start class again. She stood in silence for about a minute to wait for everyone to get settled. Then said in a tense voice “ Isaac .. Jacob , come to the front of the class to face your highly superior classmates,” immediately the room became hushed from all of the whispering. Frau Heidelberg spoke again, “class, you all know this evil symbol” her voice sounded like ice and made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I have noticed that Isaac could not move a single part of his body neither could I, this is what fright has done to me, made me frozen here in place. All I could hear is my conscious telling me to run for the hills , but I now know that won’t work considering what happened to the last kid that decided to run, I could also hear Isaac’s heart pounding in unison with mine, I was pretty sure that everyone else could the heavy beating of our hearts as well.



I kept my breathing under control and steady, but it sounded as if Isaac was having a tough time with doing that. “NOW” she shouted , once I heard the edge of her voice the blood immediately rushed to my face, Isaac and I rose from our seats worried about what might happen next. As we walked slowly to the front of the class millions of thoughts were running through my mind and I am sure that Isaac had the same thought going through his. As we got to the front of the class all I could focus on was the headmasters giant mole beside her nose, I couldn’t help it .. It was just so big. And from the corner of my eye I saw Isaac staring at the big hole in his shoe.



I could hear Frau Heidelberg writing something on the board with her spidery letters. As she finished writing I could hear Isaac quietly whimpering and some of my former classmates snickering and passing notes of some sort. “QUITE” Frau Heidelberg snapped at the class, then asked the class to read aloud the message on the board with her. As they read it their voices sounded so sinister in a way, my face turned red with embarrassment and it looked like Isaac was going to get sick at any minute.

Nothing made sense to me and I assume that nothing made sense to Isaac either , which would explain the blank look on his face. What have we done to earn the name of an “enemy?” what made us Jews so different from all the other people sitting in their desks ?? Out of all the people how could my own teacher write such a horrible and discriminating message on the board? All these questions had a simple answer but no one cared to answer them. “I wonder what Isaac is thinking right now?” I thought to myself.



For the first time the headmaster spoke from the back of the classroom “ Yes class, take a very good and close look at these two young Jews standing here before you. They are indeed your true enemy. They will do anything to take everything from you , such as your food, your job, your culture, if we let them. But don’t you worry your young little brains off class- soon this “problem” will be over and done with. Now that your Fuhrer has finally united us with Germany. Just you wait and see!”



Our faces were frowning in shame. Kids from the front row couldn’t stop staring at Isaac and I, they were saying nasty things in a loud enough voice so only we can hear them, I could not take it anymore, all this insults and ridicule was getting on my last nerve. I finally shouted out “ SHUT UP , you think your race is so superior , but deep down inside we are all the same, don’t you get it .. We are all human beings, we all deserve a fair settlement and be treated equally. So why don’t you just stop all this so called “war” with us, so we can all live in one happy world together in peace and harmony?!!” Isaac looked at me with a rage in his eyes , probably thinking “what the heck! Are you out of your mind?!” Frau Heidelberg and the headmaster looked at me also with rage in their eyes and their face growing furious and red. Before they could say anything I apologized, but that didn’t seem to help me in any way at all. Frau Heidelberg just ignored me as usual. And not only was Frau Heidelberg insulting us Jews but horrible messages were posted all around the city, and just three months ago they said that Isaacs dad was no longer able to be a doctor anymore. Jews had lost their jobs / businesses. How can things get any worse ?