My first experience with anti-Semitism occurred when I was 6 years old. My two best friends were a brother and sister, Wiesiek and Halinka. We were inseparable. We had sleepovers at each other's homes. I remember how delighted I was to help decorate their Christmas tree. They, in turn, loved the special food my mother cooked at Rosh Hashanah (Jewish new year). That all changed just before the Easter break. I was on my way home from school when, suddenly, a group of children cornered me and started beating me up. With every punch and kick I heard them say, "This is for the murder of our Lord Jesus Christ." Wiesiek and Halinka, my very best friends, led the attack. I remember how angry I felt on the way home from the hospital. I kept asking my parents, "Why?" I lost a wonderful friendship that day. I lost my innocence, and life was never the same after that.