Personal Narrative: I Am A Jew

Living in 1950, after the bombings I was finally free, I thought I was done with the war. I thought it was all over. But I guess I didn't account for school. Even though there was no blood. This time instead of feeling it on the outside it was more on the inside. I was born a Jew, nothing I could change. But even though the war ended it still felt just the same. I went to school every day, at 8:30 just like everyone else. But what was different between me and my classmates, was the fact that I am a Jew. I would usually wake up brush my teeth, then get breakfast, then I would go to school and have history class in the morning and language arts in the afternoon. Although my schedule may seem normal, there was nothing normal about it. After school,

I would usually run home before anyone could talk to me. I usually kept to myself. Everyone cared which side of the war they were on. In my school nobody cared about us, it was like the war had never ended.

Today was history day, we get to learn about what our ancestors did in the war, what inventions they thought of, and what it was like to live in the past.

I looked forward to this day every year, it was my favorite day of all time. I enjoyed learning all the things that happened before me. It was my way of being there when I actually wasn't. I ran to school as soon as I picked up my brown paper bag that contains my lunch. I grabbed my books from the cubbies at school, I came in just as the teacher was scratching down the morning list on the chalkboard. I sat at the front because usually, the kids that sit at the back get the meter stick. I grabbed my books out, just like the teacher asked, and started reading chapters 4 and 5. That's when I heard snickering in the back, “Ha Ha Emma’s a loser, she must be scarred from the concentration camps, she’ll never grow up to be a normal person”. I just sat at my desk acting like nothing ever happened, like I do every day. I focus more on my reading, so I don’t think about the pain. I always push it to the back of my mind, not wanting to make a scene. Suddenly, Tommy stone walked in front of my desk. A white paper landed on my desk, I quietly picked it up trying not to make any sudden moves. I unfolded it under my desk, hiding it from my classmates. Tears started rolling down my pink checks, I wiped them off with my sleeve, trying to make a normal face, with what strength I had left in me. I shoved everything back in my body. With what

dignity I had left in me I asked to go to the washroom before the bottle exploded again.

As soon as I walked out of the classroom I ran to the washroom, still holding on to the note. I locked myself in a stall and sat on the wet, hard ground, balling my eyes out. The note said, “meet me outside after school you filthy Jew, from Tommy”. At first, I thought how silly it is that I get bullied just because I was born from a Jewish family. But then it started to sink into me, all those words that Tommy and his friends say to me are true. I wondered why I was still hurting even though the war me was over, why am I supposed to be in pain, when there’s no pain anymore. I carried this pain inside me, ever since the battle started again. I can’t erase all the pain in a snap, if I could I would. Some days are good some days are bad. This would count as one of my good days. If I knew being a jew would be this hard I would have stopped a long time ago.

I knew I had to get back to class or else the teacher would come looking for me. I didn't want to leave the washroom, I had too. What would everyone think of me if they knew I was bullied, I can’t let that happen, I won’t. I dried up my tears and put my normal face on, the face that looks like nothing ever happened. But just because I was not showing any emotions, does not mean that I had no pain in me. I ran out of the washroom, hurrying to the classroom before anyone noticed I was gone for too long. I quickly slide into my desk silently. It was like nobody even noticed I was gone. The only thing they did notice was that I had puffy red cheeks.

After that day I never looked back, but I always wondered what would have happened if I didn't keep pushing through the pain.

Would I still be the same person today as I was then? I still got bullied, nothing I can do about that. But what did change was my attitude, I never cared what they said to me anymore, it was meaningless to me. I still cried at the things that Tommy said to me. But going through that phase of my life has helped me realize how messed up this world is. Just because I'm of a certain race I get put down. I used to be so obsessed with what others think, but I don't really care what Tommy thinks, I care what anyone thinks anymore. After that day I just wanted it to go uphill from there, but like a road, it always has its bumps and turns. The war is still going on but it's fading away slowly, people are making peace treaties, soon there will be no war anymore. I still have my battle scars but they go away

slowly.