Cantonist

Alright kiddo, so a long time ago in Russia, there was something called the cantonist system. Essentially, this was when the government would take Jewish boys and force them to join the Russian army at a really young age, sometimes even as young as six years old!

Now, you might be wondering why the government would do this. Well, at the time, Russia wasn't very nice to Jewish people. They thought that the Jewish boys should become soldiers and fight for the country, instead of going to school and learning things like other kids.

The cantonist boys had to live in special military schools, where they learned how to march and shoot guns, among other things. They were also taught about Christianity, even if they were Jewish, because the Russian government wanted them to convert.

The cantonist system was really tough on these boys. They were taken away from their families at a young age and forced to live in the schools, sometimes for 25 years! Many of them were treated badly and some even died while they were there.

So, while being in the army can be a good thing, being a cantonist was not fun. It was a way for the Russian government to control Jewish people and take away their rights. Luckily, this system doesn't exist anymore and today we believe that every child has the right to choose their own path in life.