Holocaust survivor, 97, forced out of school when Nazis invaded granted golden wish to finally go to college: It felt like I grew up

She just got life’s greatest lesson.A Holocaust survivor who was forced out of school at age 12 as World War II raged in Europe finally got her long-deferred wish of going to college — enjoying a day of classes and even attending a basketball game in the Bronx.As a young girl, Jacqueline Kimmelstiel, 97, fled to escape persecution after Germany invaded France during the war, hiding from the Nazis with nuns at a convent.She wasn’t allowed to return to school after 6th grade, which as a lover of learning she always regretted even more than 80 years later.But on Tuesday, Kimmelstiel had the chance to live out her lifelong goal, as the inaugural recipient of Hebrew Home RiverSpring Living’s “golden wish” program, which makes dreams come true for its residents.“It felt like I grew up finally,” a beaming Kimmelstiel told The Post after her day of attending one-on-one English and French classes at the University of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale.“They didn’t allow us to go to school.

I always wanted this, I’ve always missed this,” she said.The nonagenarian started her day with an English Literature class, where Dr.Leonard Nalencz read her a poem that stirred up her emotions.“I don’t usually enjoy poetry this much, but this one is written beautifully and you really feel the love in the air,” she shared.Her second session of the day was a French class led by Dr.

Severine Rebourcet, which gave Kimmelstiel a chance to dust off her foreign language skills she picked up in her youth.“I spoke French for a long time because I lived in France.I don’t get to speak it [usually], but I never forgot it,” she said.Kimmelstiel then attended a scrimmage basketball game where she delivered the ball to center court as an honorary coach.

After the game she was presented with a sweatshirt and told she was an “official Dolphin” — the school’s team mascot.“The game was amazing,” she said, though she admitted she was never big into sports.Afte...