Ki Kiamcha: This was shared in a Sullivan County Facebook group by Gabe J. Espinosa, a non-Jewish bus driver with Krasna Camp.

“With all the abject hatred being loudly vocalized against the Hasidic community regarding every aspect of their existence whether justified, imagined, or down right malicious, (summer driving is justified 🙄) I thought I’d share this story about a little 8 year old boy on my bus this summer. His name was Moishi and he was the quiet type who never drew attention to himself.

One day a couple of weeks ago, as he’s getting off the bus he turns to me and in slow and methodical English, informs me that he found a sum of money on the floor at his seat. It was a large bill. After thanking him for his honesty I said to him that I would hold onto it for a couple of days and try to find the owner. Four times over the next couple of days I asked all the “wiseguys” (my bus is named the Wiseguy Bus) if anyone had dropped the money. I also located the bus rabbi who had accompanied a group of older boys on my bus on a boating trip the week before and asked him to ask his class if anyone lost money recently.

There were no claims to the money, not even in joking. So the day of surrendering the loot to Moishi came. I waited until everyone got off the bus at the camp one morning and held him back as I didn’t want him to feel pressured regarding what I was going to say. I says to him, “ok Moishi the money is yours because no one has said they lost money, and I’d like to give you an opportunity to make a Mitzvah (good deed) if and only if you want to. I can give you the money, or I can use it to help feed someone who lives in the area and does not have enough food; a poor person.” I told him that I would not think anything less of him if he decided to keep the money because he was honest with me and in the Eyes of Hashem (God) he had already made a Mitzvah by virtue of his honesty.

So he pondered the idea for maybe 5 seconds and said, “give it to the hungry people.”

I assured him that his kindness was very pleasing to Hashem and that surely he would be rewarded by Him in one way or another and the kid smiled at me.

In the afternoon when everyone was on the bus to go home for the day, I quieted them down and announced I had something to tell them. Perfect teaching moment. I recounted what had occurred that morning to give the boy recognition for his kindness AND reminded them that this is the way a real man acts. They all took it in stride but knowing them well, I am sure the lesson was absorbed.

So, the point of bringing this story to a public venue, especially one so renowned for the hatred that is allowed to be voiced against these people is logic.

Where do these boys learn how to be good boys and then good men? From their parents, their schools, their rabbis, and during camp, their counselors. Ergo, if these people collectively are so horrible, such thieves, so wicked, etc, how is it that they produced such innocence and honesty?

So, this envelope with its message is going into the collection basket next Sunday at Mass and the message written on the envelope will ensure it goes towards feeding the hungry.”