He was a sweet kid, around 20, I’d say, dark skinned and slightly plump and cheerful.  He was the resident “Jack of All Trades” at the Newark Crowne Plaza Hotel, one morning, mopping the floors, another, serving breakfast, and when we couldn’t get the sound to work on our slide projector, he figured out the problem.  He had become my right hand during my company’s annual conference. “Where do you live?” I ask during a quiet moment between workshops. “In Elizabeth,” he responds.  “We’ve only been here a year.  We came from Egypt.  But we’re Jewish,” he adds, as an … Continue reading →