Have a heart

As seen in the New York Times:

Dear Diary:

A few days before Christmas a year ago, I was on the F train riding uptown. At West Fourth Street, a young man boarded with a boombox. He explained, loudly and enthusiastically, “I’m trying to stay out of trouble tonight, so I’m offering you a dance, like we do it in the Bronx.”

Only a few of us looked up. Then he plugged his iPhone into the boombox and proceeded to dance his heart out. This included a few back flips, trapeze moves with the handrails, and body spins on the ground with just one hand. By this time all eyes were glued on him. A young boy next to me yelled out in sheer delight: “Wow — that’s amazing!” We all shared his sentiment.

Many passengers gave generously when he walked by with his donation container afterward.

Just then, at the other end of the car, a homeless-looking man boarded with a plea for help. He was disheveled and without any dance routine or music act to offer. All he had was a wish for kindness and an outstretched hat — one that remained empty among this group of recent donors.

That was until, just before the doors were to open at the next stop, the dancer went right up to the homeless-looking man, spilled out all of his earnings into the outstretched hat and said, “Merry Christmas, man.”

Christina Daigneault


Dear Diary:

I live in a huge condo in Brighton Beach.

On the first night of Hanukkah, there was a knock on my front door, which I didn’t open. When I inquired who it was, a small voice asked, “Are you Jewish?”

Indignant, I replied, “That’s none of your business.”

When the voice claimed to be with the Chabad, I retorted, “I don’t care who you are — that’s an inappropriate question,” and promptly called security.

Moments later I heard our guard very politely explain to the man from Chabad that he was trespassing and couldn’t go around knocking on doors asking about religious affiliations. He would have to leave the premises at once.

Without missing a beat, I heard that small voice ask the very patient security guard, “Are you Jewish?”

Suzanne R. Friedman