@StanleyKrute shared this story on Twitter, about Rabbi Michael Beals of Delaware and Senator Joe Biden.
About 16 years ago, as a rabbi new to Delaware, Rabbi Beals officiated at the memorial service for an elderly woman, Mrs. Greenhouse. She didn’t have much in the way of worldly goods. She lived in a very small apartment in a high-rise building. Rabbi Beals led a prayer minyan that was conducted in the basement of her building because her apartment was too small to accommodate 10 people.
As the prayer commenced, the door opened and a man quietly entered.
From the tweet:
Toward the end of the service, a door at the back of the laundry room opened; who walks in but Sen. Joe Biden, head lowered, all by himself.
I nearly dropped my prayer book in shock.
Senator Biden stood quietly in the back of the room for the duration of the service.
At the close of the kaddish, I walked over to him and asked the same question that must have been on everyone else’s mind: “Sen. Biden — what are you doing here?”
He said to me: “Back in 1972, when I first ran for Senate, Mrs. Greenhouse gave $18 to my first campaign.
Because that’s what she could afford. And every six years, when I’d run for reelection, she’d give another $18. She did it her whole life. I’m here to show my respect and gratitude.”
Now, the number 18 is significant in the Jewish faith — its numbers spell out the Hebrew word chai, as in “to life, to life, l’chayim!” But it’s also a humble amount. Joe Biden knew that. And he respected that.
There were no news outlets at our service that day — no Jewish reporters or important dignitaries. Just a few elderly mourners in a basement laundry room.
Joe Biden didn’t come to that service for political gain. He came to that service because he has character.
He came to that service because he’s a mensch.
And if we need anything right now when it comes to the leadership of our country — we need a mensch.
I know this is such a simple, small story. But I tell it to as many people as will listen to me.
Character.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Nice story but what about his record? A lot of it ruined lots of lives.
Great story. Thx for sharing.
Thank you. A good way to start my Monday!
A beautiful story. Decency, right? Although Joe Biden may not rise to the rarified status of a lamed vuvnik, he is a very decent man.
Agree with roy2016dec, a great way to start the week.
Thank you, Diane, for this story about Biden. I love it.
Biden is a DECENT, MORAL, and honorable man, and we need decent, moral, and honorable like never before.
Nice way to start the morning, reading this, Diane!
Yvonne, I totally agree.
Dienne,
I am not posting anything anti-Biden. I will do whatever I can to help him defeat the stupidest, most corrupt, most dangerous president in our history. Stop wasting your time. You are in moderation because you are thing to attack Biden and I won’t permit it. You can surely find a pro-Trump site that will post your anecdote about how terrible Biden is.
I’ve always been one to agree with you, Dienne, but it is time to listen to Bernie and get behind Joe for the next four months. All in. Everything depends on it, so now is a time for solidarity. I still find this song helpful: https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/03/celebrate-teacherappreciation-week-by-watching-and-sharing-this-great-video-by-stevie-van-zandt/
No one crosses our line with so much at stake.
Dienne is in moderation because she keeps sending anti-Biden comments. I won’t post them. She calls that censorship. I don’t. There are many places where anti-Biden comments are welcome. Not here. I don’t want anyone to waver and not vote or vote third party. Trump is a menace.
This is your living room.
It is now June of a year where every public school in the country closed and here is the sum total of Trump Administration to assist schools in the face of an unprecedented crisis:
U.S. Department of Education
Jun 25
Today,
BetsyDeVosED
issued a rule that would help to ensure all students whose learning was impacted by #COVID19 are served equitably by emergency funding authorized by the #CARESAct, no matter where they attend school.
They spent the last three months lobbying and changing rules to direct public funds to private schools.
Once again, public school students and families are the dead-last priority. They do nothing for 90% of students in this country. Maybe they’ll get around to doing some work sometime in September, when schools either remain closed or open, but only after private schools and private school students are taken care of.
Why are we paying these people? They haven’t done a lick of work for our students since schools closed. They’re AWOL, yet all still collecting a paycheck.
Character begins with gratitude and empathy for others. A sense of fairness, humility and willingness to learn from mistakes, from critics and friends too. One sees character in small actions done to respect another person.
I agree! Well put!
And where are the ed reform advocates in this public school crisis? They managed to lobby to get PPP funds to charter schools and they managed to lobby to get CARES funds to private schools. There are thousands of paid, full time “education reform” advocates and tens of orgs.
Why haven’t they done anything for 90% of students? Our kids aren’t worthy of support because they happen to attend the unfashionable public schools?
Maybe now that charters have received special funding and private schools have received special funding someone in DC could put some effort towards “the other” 90% of kids they forgot.
Chiara, where are the ed reform advocates? My guess is that the DFER crowd are lounging in their enclaves quietly applauding the religious right for helping them starve public schools to death. Cruelty is the strategy.
As for states under the thumbs of religious right governance, TN is the a prime exemplar of pols using the strategy of cruelty. Reminder that TN Gov. Bill Lee is a Christian Nationalist, Libertarian who is nearly identical to DeVos in ideology & lifestyle sensibilities. Both are trust fund babies.
Lee & the republican General Assembly are taking a hatchet to the budgets of TN public schools at a time when we need more nurses, teachers, TA,s PPEs, masks, buses, etc. We’re not even getting last year’s budget.
Lee & the republican general assembly is funding the BEP using a 20 year old formula. Our current fully funding BEP formula (if they would use it) is $1.5 billion (with a B) short compared to average of 7 other states in our region.
The republicans cut $115 million from teacher salaries and literacy, $250 million from mental health trust fund.- essentially cut the entire mental health trust fund.
Lee said though they are only required to give CARES money to poor kids in private schools, he was going to give it to every kid in private schools because DeVos asked him to. Other GOP governors are actually suing over any of it going to private schools.
Bill Lee & the Republican General Assembly have abandoned 90% of TN children & families who choose public schools. Like you, I eagerly await the ed reform advocates to call out these zealots for the harm they are causing. I’m not holding my breath.
This is a beautiful story. Thank you.
This was such an interesting story!!
I am all for supporting an voting for Biden. We MUST get Trump out of office. And the then the fight to lobby Biden hawkishly and makes sure he does not revert back to his neoliberal mindset. We will continue to fight for reforming the Democratic party per the Poor People’s Campaign, the working class and youth movement, and The George Floyd catalyst, all of which will continue heartily, alive and kicking and permanently not going away.
This will be an opportunity for growth and change within the DNC and also give birth to many populist opportunities to introduce new competing parties to break up the arthritic, ailing, stagnant, and artery clogged duopoly.
But keep in mind that Biden will be better than Trump for many reasons in terms of a timeline for transformation.
Thank off or posting, Diane!
We MUST get this monster out of office. He is not some churlish clown. He is a danger to American culture and society, as are his poltician supporters.
SO sorry to all for so many typos! Multi-tasking is no excuse!
I refer tot he post I mean about 15 minuets ago and that was put into moderation for review.
There I go again! UGGGHHHHH!
And now à la Chiara, here’s something unrelated that’s bigly on my mind this Monday morning: the plight of the childcare sector.
Let’s remember “childcare” includes 6mo-olds thro 5yo’s, in other words, daycare, preschool, and PreK. A fragile sector already, pre-covid: barely affordable for most, w/higher staff reqts and much lower pay than pubsch K12. Some fed/ state subsidy, but by & large private smallbiz. So – very much like restaurants – many will fold permanently before things are “back to normal.” That’s a monkey-wrench in partial re-opening – all those parents who need childcare in order to return even PT to work.
How does a smallbiz already operating on tiny margin afford to re-open safely, which requires extra staff for smaller groups, extra labor/ matls for PPE/ sanitizing?
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith [MN] have proposed a $50billion bailout.
View at Medium.com
https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/backed-by-large-group-of-senate-colleagues-warren-and-smith-press-to-include-50-billion-child-care-bailout-in-next-coronavirus-relief-package
The story of Joe Biden and this supporter is a great one for a “moral Monday.”
Very moving.
Nice story.
Being a Mensch is more important now than ever. He was not my 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice, but one thing I’ve long known about Biden is that he genuinely cares for people. Should he be elected, he knows that history, not personal gain, will be what his life will be measured by.