There are those who say that Yidden are better because we were born that way and there are those who say that we are better because we make ourselves better.
I’d rather not take any side, but how about everyone give one idea how we could make ourselves stand out as role models for the rest of society.
When I take my kids for a walk; if we see a cop sitting in a car I tell my kids to wave. The cops usually smile and wave back. At times they even turn on their light to make the little ones laugh. There’s at least one cop who patrols our neighborhood who recognizes my kids and will wave to them if he notices them first.
Although this hasn’t happened yet but I think that if I returned to our car and was about to get a ticket (for an expired meter or something similar) from a cop who in the past noticed that we took the time to say hello, I would have a high probability of getting a second chance.
When I take the bus or train I always make sure to thank the driver and conductor. (These people hold positions where they are part of the scenery and usually only get noticed when something negative occurs. They appreciate when others acknowledge that they exist and show them some gratitude for their hard work.)
Finally, when I call a customer service and get greeted by “May I have your name and address/ account number …?” I always say, “Hi, How has your day been so far?” they always say something like “good, thanks for asking, how about you?” and then the operator is usually more relaxed and easier to deal with. (This might not be a Kiddush Hashem per se, after all how many representatives out there who never met a Yid would know that Pepper is a Yiddish name?)
Thanks everyone and hopefully after we all accept the wonderful ideas that others are going to suggest we will merit seeing the redemption in our days and then the whole world will know why Yidden are the best!