Great Adventure
So, there I was, at the annual NCSY extravaganza at Six Flags Great Adventure, taking pride in all of the Jewish youth (and their families) who had come to enjoy Chol Hamoed. Suddenly, a woman came up to me, pushing a stroller, and asked where a changing table was. I did a quick scan of the area, noticed a bathroom and pointed her to it, hoping that it did, in fact, have a changing table. Not long after, another family came over and asked me where the kosher food concession was. This one I knew, and I pointed them in the right direction. By the time two seventh-graders asked me if the log flume was open, I knew something was up.
Why was I suddenly Mr. Information? Was it my sunny disposition? Or was something greater afoot? Then it hit me. I was wearing my NCSY Summer Program fleece, proudly adorned with the NCSY logo and the word “Staff.” Since NCSY had taken over the park, and I was clearly identified as NCSY staff, clearly I was the “go-to guy.”
This is not so unreasonable. If you walked into the pharmacy and saw someone with a red vest and a name tag, you might logically conclude that they worked there. It might also be true that they work at the stationery store next door and just popped in for some cough drops, but it’s not an unreasonable assumption on the customer’s part.
Isn’t this the way it always is? When someone sees that we are Jewish - whether because of a yarmulke, a Magen David necklace or a family name, they have certain expectations of us. These may not be the expectations we have of ourselves, but that doesn’t make them wrong for others to expect. This is why it’s so important for Jews to always comport themselves in a pleasant and appropriate manner, so that we will glorify the name of Hashem through our deeds.
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