{"id":97255,"date":"2026-11-05T10:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T15:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com\/p\/spiritual-sparks-it-happened-on-the-brooklyn-subway"},"modified":"2026-11-05T10:57:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T15:57:00","slug":"spiritual-sparks-it-happened-on-the-brooklyn-subway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/spiritual-sparks-it-happened-on-the-brooklyn-subway\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Sparks: It Happened on the Brooklyn Subway"},"content":{"rendered":"\n    <div class='beehiiv'><style>\n  .bh__table, .bh__table_header, .bh__table_cell { border: 1px solid #C0C0C0; }\n  .bh__table_cell { padding: 5px; background-color: #FFFFFF; }\n  .bh__table_cell p { color: #2D2D2D; font-family: 'Helvetica',Arial,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }\n  .bh__table_header { padding: 5px; background-color:#F1F1F1; }\n  .bh__table_header p { color: #2A2A2A; font-family:'Trebuchet MS','Lucida Grande',Tahoma,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }\n<\/style><div class='beehiiv__body'><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><i>An astonishing discovery. Two strangers. One empty seat.<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">One afternoon in 1948, Marcel Sternberger, a celebrated photographer whose subjects included Albert Einstein and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, boarded a New York City subway train. He found an empty seat beside a stranger reading a Hungarian newspaper.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Born in Hungary himself, Sternberger noticed the stranger&#39;s newspaper and saw an opportunity to strike up a conversation.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Neither could have imagined where that simple conversation would lead.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u2728<b>3 Ideas<\/b><\/p><ol start=\"1\"><li><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>The human need for connection <\/b><\/p><\/li><\/ol><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">We thrive when we connect with others. Our relationships with family and friends bring meaning and richness to our lives. But human connection shouldn\u2019t be limited to the people we know. A friendly exchange with a stranger, a shared laugh, or a moment of unexpected warmth can brighten an ordinary day. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>The pleasure of connecting with one another is one of life\u2019s everyday gifts<\/b>. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Even brief encounters can remind us of something wonderful: our souls long for the touch of other souls.<\/p><ol start=\"2\"><li><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>A human touch begins with initiative<\/b><\/p><\/li><\/ol><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">When in a crowded elevator, I sometimes try to break the silence. In a seven-story building, I\u2019ll announce, \u201cDid you know that this building used to have eight floors?\u201d After a brief pause, I\u2019ll add, \u201cYes, it used to have eight floors, but that\u2019s another story.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Smiles and the occasional groan ensue. And for a few moments, strangers who might never meet again have shared something enjoyable.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>A little initiative can turn an ordinary moment into an opportunity for connection.<\/b> Sometimes a human touch is as simple as a friendly greeting.<\/p><ol start=\"3\"><li><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Small moments can make a big difference<\/b><\/p><\/li><\/ol><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">The cumulative effect of small moments of human connection can be considerable. A few words of encouragement or pleasantries may seem insignificant on their own. But over time, these moments can make our lives richer and more meaningful. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Human warmth can make someone\u2019s day -- and their life -- a little better<\/b>. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">And sometimes, a seemingly insignificant encounter can have consequences far beyond anything we might have imagined. We never know when a simple gesture of friendliness might set something extraordinary in motion. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><span style=\"color:#d0e0e3;\">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/span><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\ud83d\udcdc<b>2 Quotes<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u201cWhen there is worry in one\u2019s heart, share it with others, as a good word will make it cheerful\u201d<br>\u2014 <i>Proverbs 12:25<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u201cI just want someone to talk to<br>And a little of that Human Touch\u201d<br>\u2014 <i>Bruce Springsteen, \u201cHuman Touch\u201d<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><span style=\"color:#d0e0e3;\">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/span><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u2753<b>1 Question<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">What one small step could you take this week to bring a little more human warmth into someone\u2019s life? <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><span style=\"color:#d0e0e3;\">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/span><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">And what became of Marcel Sternberger\u2019s conversation with the stranger on the Brooklyn subway? <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">The stranger was B\u00e9la Paskin, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor. When Paskin recounted that he\u2019d been told his wife, Marya, had perished at Auschwitz, Sternberger was astonished -- he had recently met a Hungarian woman who had also survived Auschwitz. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Could she possibly be Paskin\u2019s wife?<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Sternberger remembered the woman\u2019s telephone number and called her. After asking a few questions, he confirmed the astonishing truth: she was Marya! Soon afterward, husband and wife were reunited after years of separation.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">An extraordinary reunion, made possible by an ordinary human gesture -- a stranger\u2019s willingness to begin a conversation.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Few of our everyday encounters will have such remarkable consequences. But each offers an opportunity to bring a little more warmth into someone\u2019s life.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Until next time,<br>Wishing you a week of small but meaningful connections, <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Rabbi Ze&#39;ev Smason<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">P.S. Have you ever had an unexpected encounter with a stranger that left you smiling -- or perhaps had an even greater impact on you? I\u2019d love to hear that story. <\/p><\/div><div class='beehiiv__footer'><br class='beehiiv__footer__break'><hr class='beehiiv__footer__line'><a  class=\"beehiiv__footer_link\" style=\"text-align: center;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beehiiv.com\/powered-by?publication_logo=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.beehiiv.com%2Fcdn-cgi%2Fimage%2Ffit%3Dscale-down%2Cformat%3Dauto%2Conerror%3Dredirect%2Cquality%3D80%2Fuploads%2Fpublication%2Flogo%2F3f159f9b-5409-4503-a8c8-75c1d2b61224%2Fspiritual_sparks__1_.png%3Fv%3D1793894229&publication_name=Spiritual+Sparks&utm_campaign=18738d6c-ba8d-4aff-95c2-537a84396719&utm_medium=post_rss&utm_source=spiritual_sparks\">Powered by beehiiv<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n  ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An astonishing discovery. Two strangers. One empty seat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14776],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97255"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97255"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97276,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97255\/revisions\/97276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}