I had an unusual childhood.

I started first grade when I was four.

And until I was five, I didn't know English.

I was born in the Bronx in New York City.

Both my parents were born in New York City.

They were born in Brownsville and Brooklyn.

And my parents decided that the only way that they felt that I could be assured of

being able to connect with Jews all over the world as if I would learn Yiddish.

And so that was it. I only spoke Yiddish until I was five years old. I didn't

understand a word of English, which is, I would say, probably unusual. My younger sister as well,

we were raised only in Yiddish in the house. We spoke Yiddish in the street. I didn't have a lot of friends because there wasn't too much Yiddish going around in the Bronx.

And at the age of four, I started first grade in the Labavature Yeshiva in the Bronx.

My parents were very friendly with the principal, and I started when I was four years old, first grade.

I learned English in the Chabad Yeshiva.

When I was five, my parents decided to skip me.

So I skipped second grade.

So I was five years old in third grade. I graduated elementary school there for when I was 10. Now, I was always short, and I was short then too. It was very challenging for me.

The reason why I skipped is because the principal wanted his son to skip,

and I was good friends with him, and so he wanted me to keep his son company, so I skipped.

It was very difficult for me socially and intellectually.

When I was eight, nine, I was in the stupid class in the school.

I was lost intellectually.

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