A Psychiatrist’s Life Journey Through Anti-Semitism

Abstract

This chapter utilizes autobiographical storytelling to share my personal journey through life and anti-Semitism. It covers eight decades of my experiences with those who detest Jews, from my life as a child of Yiddish-speaking immigrants through my schooling, medical education, psychiatric training, practice, and academia. I look back at my family and remarkable changes in society over the years, but the anti-Semitism I witnessed years ago is back with a vengeance: “Déjà vu” (as we say), or “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” (“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”)