Beverly Johnson

Impossible to Forget: Living with Anti-semitism Beverly Johnson

The year was 1945, and Anna Balak was 13 years old, and beginning her much-awaited Freshman year at a high school in Southern California. She was a very happy and well-adjusted student. Though she had read and vaguely knew about Anti-Semitism -- and what it meant -- it had not affected her or her family. Consequently, she was totally unprepared for the antagonism, cruelty and prejudice that she was subjected to every day during the year and one-half that she spent at that particular school, staffed with many German teachers and a large majority of German students. Anna was Egyptian, and of Middle Eastern heritage. She had an olive complexion, dark hair and eyes, and a large nose, which separated her from the mostly German and Hispanic students --Hispanic being the only other race on campus. Anna didn't resemble anyone at that school, so therefore she was tagged as a "Jew". She was instantly placed into a hateful arena of physical and verbal abuses, mental torment, and terrible anguish. The wonderful freedom she so excitedly looked forward to was taken from her and replaced with, "Hey, Jew girl, are all Jews as ugly as you?" This kind of persecution affected her health and mental stability, and was indeed: "IMPOSSIBLE TO FORGET!"