I silently thanked the Jews somewhere in Lakewood who were treating their garbage man kindly

One of the best ways to get a feel for a new area is by just driving through it, seeing what type of people live there, finding out where the stores are, checking out the parks.

One day, I was driving slowly through an area that was becoming frum, and I passed a run-down house. The lawn was littered with stuff, there was a pickup truck in the driveway, and a hulking guy, covered in tattoos, walked out of the house — and headed straight to me.

“You Jewish people!” he said, and my heart sank. This wasn’t feeling very safe.

“Yes?” I said, my foot hovering over the gas pedal.

“You Jews are some of the nicest people I know! I’m a garbage man, and I service a neighborhood nearby. It used to be filled with rich Italians, and they all ignored me, but lately all these Jewish people are moving in, and they’re such nice people.”

Relief flooded me, and I silently thanked the Jews somewhere in Lakewood who were treating their garbage man kindly.

“Great to hear,” I said warmly. “What neighborhood do you work in?”

He told me the area — and it was my neighborhood! I gave him my address, and not only did he remember my house, he even remembered that I always gave him a tip before the beginning of the year. We chatted a bit.

“There was one woman,” he told me, “who ran after me one morning and offered me a box full of food! It was all closed packages, loads of stuff! I’m telling ya, the Jews are great.”