A Success Story

A great story I heard from my beloved friend Rav Zvi Shiloni that he learned in the course of his research of the experiences of children of holocaust survivors.

A young man who later went on to win a Nobel Prize in something like nuclear biology was much more interested in athletics than academics as a child. But his parents were survivors and they wanted their child to get ahead in life. So they sent him to the famous Stuyvesant High School in New York in the hope that he would excel in his studies. He probably did but he was also the starting center for the basketball team.

One time his team was playing against Power Memorial High who had a towering, black 7 foot center. The first time the Jewish boy got the ball, the opposing center put his LARGE hand in the boys face and snarled "What are you going to do now, EINSTEIN?"

Well, that night he didn't do much. He scored 2 points. Power Memorial's center scored 54 points and went on to a storied career at U.C.L.A and later with the L.A. Lakers. His name was Lew Alcindor and he later changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabaar. Our friend who won the Nobel Prize really ended up being a little Einstein.

Moral: Always listen to what others say - even if their hand is in your face and their intentions are less than pure.:):)

Love and Blessings!!