Victor Azar’s chapter in 100 Doses of Hope by Dr. Ken ‘Dr. Smiley’ Rochon Jr.
Imagine you are 6 years old in first grade in a strange country. You are singled out, ridiculed, mocked and called a “dirty Jew” by the teachers and your classmates. At recess, you are alone and non of your classmates want anything to do with you. That 6 year old was me. My father was a Seventh Day Adventist Minister. This Christian denomination, unlike all other christians, kept Saturday as the sabbath instead of Sunday. Keeping Saturday as the sabbath identified us as Jews in a country (Iraq), that considered the Jews as the enemy. The reason the teachers and classmates knew about my religion is because my Father made a deal with the principal to let me take Saturday off and not attend school on that day. Our religion dictated that it was a sin to work or go to school on that day. In the Muslim world, such as in Basra, Iraq, they had one day off per week which was Friday. This was not a good situation for me to endure. I always felt alone and ashamed from such an early age, and did not do well at school because of missing one day per week. I could never catch up with my studies. I longed to be loved and accepted. This was the foundation of my personality which affected the rest of my life…. Read on below
From-Pain-and-Adversity-to-Hummus-Smiles-01