My father had a similar experience growing up in Russian controlled eastern Poland before coming to America in 1922. When very young he was asked to carry the Torah into the synagogue during a service. The local rabbi chewed him out for not carrying the sacred book properly. My father swore at that time never to have anything much to do with rabbis and he stuck to that all of his life.
In Response to: Memorials PAWcast: PAW Remembers Joe Schein ’37 [6]