Surprise, surprise

One of the most interesting aspects of having such a large proportion of our staff crammed into two floors in one building (as opposed to the former multiple floors in multiple buildings) is that people with whom I used to have phone contact almost exclusively, or no contact at all, in our previous location are now rarely more than a short walk from my desk.  Among other things, that means that I now know a lot more staff members than I used to know.

Sometimes, however, I don't yet have a name to pair with a frequently-seen face.  Last week, a staff member from another department dropped by to discuss some business with another member of my boss's staff.  Taking advantage of the situation, I jotted down that person's name and extension while s/he was here.  As the person left, s/he wished us an easy fast.  "How nice," I thought. " I guess this person's been working for our (Jewish non-profit) organization long enough to have learned about Tisha B'Av."  I'm embarrassed to say that it took a few minutes for me to realize what a mistake I'd made.  "Dunkoff! (Dummy)!  You thought that s/he wasn't Jewish just because s/he's not white?!  With a name like that, what else could s/he possibly be?!"  Stereotypes die hard, even for someone who already knows several other non-white Jews.  (And no, they're not all converts.)  'Scuse me while I wipe the egg off my face.


["Hidden" here to keep this post off the top of my blog--actual date of publication Mon., July 27, 2015.]