New beginnings fascinate me and I understand very well their power, the difficulty and the effort they require - but also the great potential inherent in them.
There are those that I chose and there are beginnings that I experienced involuntarily, because the trajectory of my life forced me to start over many times.
Already when I was six months old, my parents had to flee the city where they lived to the far north of Argentina, to escape the military junta that seized power and led a dictatorship, because my father was a freedom fighter, a member of the underground that fought against them.
Many of his friends disappeared or were murdered, and my parents ran away to start over.
Sometimes a fresh start is the only way to be saved.
When I was 5 and a half years old, I came back from kindergarten and told my mother that I wanted to bathe twice a day.
When she asked me why, I explained to her that a girl from the kindergarten said that I had to shower more than the other children because I was Jewish, and Jews are dirtier.
I remember my mother looked at me and was silent.
Interview with Paula Rosenberg // Photo: Moshe Ben Simhon
A few weeks later, our house was broken into and emptied of all belongings, including clothes and toys and all electrical appliances.
Then, a few days later, my father sat my sister and me on the sofa in the living room and announced that we were moving to the State of Israel.
He told us that we would have many new friends and that they would all be Jews, adding: "There are no thieves in Israel."
My father knew how to wrap the new beginning so that it does not include what bothers and hurts.
A new beginning must contain a promise or the fulfillment of a dream, and sometimes a new beginning is the only way to ease the pain.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us