"Are You A Russian Refugee?"

     One day I walked into the Greater Vancouver Jewish Community Centre and asked them very shyly if they had any volunteer jobs.  I thought, "They'll probably throw me out on the street once they find out I'm not Jewish."  The receptionist said they had two  kinds of volunteer jobs.  One was working with the children in Summer Day Camp and the other was working with the old folks.
     "Well, I'm no good with old folks," I said.  "So could I work with the children?  And does it matter that I'm not Jewish?"  To my surprise, they didn't throw me out on the street.

     At Summer Day Camp, I learned Jewish songs and games and worked with the children and had an educational and uplifting experience.  Later, the JCC phoned me and asked if I'd like to volunteer for Winter Camp.  I said yes.  They paid the volunteers an honorarium each.

     Later I needed a job and I told this to a friend, she told the JCC, and the next day I received a phone call from them asking me if I wanted to come in for an interview.
     "What can you do for the JCC?"  the head of the Child/Youth Department asked me.
     "I can do puppetry and tell stories," I replied.
     The end result of this was I got hired in four different part-time jobs.

     One day I arrived at the JCC for work with all my craft materials in several plastic grocery bags to instruct the children with.   I was wearing a big old coat.  At this time, there were Russian refugees arriving every week at the JCC.  A receptionist came up to me and caringly asked me,
     "Are...you...a...Russian...refugee?"

     Shalom!