There is a viral photo going around of an orthodox Jewish man, Oscar “Isaac” Theil, letting an unidentified African American man sleep on his shoulder on a NY train. “He had a long day so let him sleep. We’ve all been there,” Theil responded.
This is a beautiful photo and story – a real kiddush Hashem. As Jews it is our job to be “tzelem Elokim,” (hat tip Rabbi Yerachmiel D. Fried, “Brother, Can You Spare a Shoulder?” in the Texas Jewish Post, brought to my attention by Larry) and Isaac Theil did just that by his act of kindness.
The photo made me recall the same story that happened in reverse to my son when my family was on a layover in London on our way to Eretz Yisroel in 2010. This is especially poignant to me considering quite a few stories I have recently read about rising anti semitism in Europe. Yes, there are bad people everywhere, but there are so many good ones too!
My son, baseball cap on head and obviously Jewish with his kippah wearing/scarf wearing parents, fell asleep on an Irish gentleman’s shoulder on the London train/tube due to jet lag. I apologized, but the fellow was a great sport about it, and gladly let my son rest on him for the duration of the ride. Let’s not forget that there are mensches on both sides!
