I was working at my desk one afternoon, recently, when I received a peculiar telephone call.  Our receptionist told me that the caller was from Israel and announced that I did not know him but he asked to speak to me. I have family in Israel and a daughter studying there this year; so, I thought it could be related to either and I took the call.

 

The gentleman on the phone told me that he was getting off a bus in a suburb of Jerusalem and another passenger found my daughter Elana’s wallet. The passenger who found the wallet did not speak English so he asked this gentleman to help him.

 

This gentleman informed me that he looked up our last name, found the listing of our law firm and called the office in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was about 8 p.m. local time for him.  I told him, “Yes, Elana is my daughter and thank you so much for contacting me.”  He gave the wallet to my daughter’s friend who lives in his neighborhood, and my daughter got her wallet back later that night completely intact. We decided to exchange information on WhatsApp, and I video called him wanting to express my gratitude to him and the other passenger.

 

We are often cynical of people we don’t know and sometimes, unfortunately, do not expect the best in human nature. This instance is just a small reminder that there are kind people in the world, who we may never encounter without a similar circumstance.  Perhaps we should not be judgmental and we should treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves.  That is certainly what this kind gentleman did for Elana and me.

 

May this holiday season be one filled with love and kindness for you and your family. Happy Holidays!