04 Feb WHAT OUR SHULS AND COMMUNITIES CAN LEARN FROM DISNEY

With my youngest child
approaching his teenage
years I thought my Disney
days were over, but when
my grandchildren came to
me asking, “Zayda, can you
come with us to Disney,”
I couldn’t say no. And so,
I spent two days this week at the Magic
Kingdom and Epcot. As usual, I brought a
baseball cap so that nobody would be able
to tell that I am Jewish.
As we pulled into the park, though, I decided
not to wear it. In a time when too many are
trying to scare us, attempting to intimidate
us into removing our symbols, hiding our
practices or being ashamed of our identity,
it is more important than ever to proudly
wear our yarmulkas, show our tzitzis, or
necklaces displaying Jewish stars, maps of
Israel, or solidarity with hostages, and not
cower from practices that are appropriate in
public.
A woman and her family came over to me at
one of the parks to say how happy she was
to see Jewish people not afraid to wear their
yarmulka in public. When I asked if she
was Jewish, she told me she was and that
she went to a Jewish school in Minneapolis

as a child. A man walking by stopped to
say, “Shalom.” I responded “Shalom” and
asked if he was Jewish. He told me he is
a pastor from Alabama and that he and his
congregation regularly pray for Israel and
the Jewish people. His wife quickly added,
“and we have been praying constantly for
the hostages.”
We got a “boker tov” from one of the Disney
employees and a few more “shaloms” and,
I’m happy to report, no negativity or hostility.
The truth is, I would expect nothing more at
the “Happiest Place on Earth.” It is hard to
think of another place where such a large
quantity of people all seem so courteous,
kind, pleasant, and polite.
Generally speaking, one doesn’t find
pushing or shoving, short tempers, a culture
of criticism, or impolite and impatient
people at Disney, despite having to wait on
long lines, pay large fees, endure the hot
sun, and spend hours on one’s feet.
As we observed the throngs of people with
smiles on their faces and extraordinary
consideration towards one another, I couldn’t
help but think, wouldn’t it be amazing if
our shuls were like Disney? Wouldn’t
it be wonderful if people thought of our
campuses and communities as the happiest

places on Earth, places that even if they had
to stand for long periods, sometimes wait
on lines, endure imperfect temperatures, it
would not only be well worth it, they would
be clamoring and counting down to coming
back.
How does Disney do it and what could
we learn regarding creating a culture of
happiness? Many years ago, I participated
in a behind-the-scenes tour of Disney to
explore that very question. The design
and layouts of the parks, the placement of
vendors, and the timing of the shows are all
meticulously and brilliantly strategized and
arranged. But what struck me most from the
tour was the culture and how the attitude of
the Disney’s tens of thousands of workers
impacts each and every one of their guests.
In every employee only area, there are
signs highlighting the Disney credo,
including: “I project a positive image and
energy. I am courteous and respectful to all
guests including children. I go above and
beyond.” Disney understands a fundamental
psychological principle supported by
extensive research – happiness and joy are
contagious. Just as if one person yawns
others will follow suit, so too, if a person
smiles, others around him will start smiling
as well. A happy disposition, a positive
spirit, and a pleasant countenance are
quite literally contagious.
Whose responsibility is it to spread the
smiles? Whose job is it to maintain the
happiness effect? There are roughly
77,000 employees at Disney World in
Orlando. All members of the staff, from
custodial and maintenance, to the ride
operators and people who wear the
Mickey costumes, are all referred to as
“cast members.” How many of the 77,000
cast members do you think are responsible
for picking up the garbage? The answer is
all 77,000. How many are responsible for
helping someone with directions or return
a lost child to their parents? 77,000. How
many are required to smile and spread
the happiness? That’s right, all 77,000.
At Disney, the cast members know that
they each have different tasks, but they
are taught that they all have the same
purpose: spreading happiness.
Disney has a regular contest among the
employees to identify and reward “great
service fanatics.” These individuals
are nominated by their peers and are
celebrated for going above and beyond
in being kind, helpful, and spreading
happiness and joy.
How do we go from a culture of
complaining and criticism to creating
the happiest place on Earth? Perhaps we
can create a culture in which every single

Jew, every participant of the community
is a member of the “cast.” We must go
from consumers, from members with
entitlements and privileges, to stakeholders,
cast members who feel a sense of personal
responsibility, duty and obligation.
If we want to be a place that attracts all,
that inspires non-observant and disaffected
Jews, that makes teens and youth excited
about their Judaism, we ALL need to be
leaders in making happiness, joy and
meaning contagious in our institutions and
homes.
When speaking with a child, Disney cast
members are trained to bend down and
meet them at eye level. I saw firsthand the
subtle but powerful impact of speaking to
someone, even a child, at eye level instead
of making them look up at you while
feeling small. We need to speak to all the
members and participants in our community
at their eye level. Sometimes that will mean
bending down, ensuring nobody feels small,
no matter what their Jewish education or
level of observance.
In complimenting and blessing Yehuda,
Yaakov says, “His teeth are whiter than
milk.” Of all virtues, why is Yaakov
highlighting Yehuda’s teeth? The Talmud
(Kesubos 111b) explains that Yaakov saw
a quality in Yehuda he greatly admired
and benefited from. Yehuda had a habit of
smiling, of flashing the white of his teeth
when seeing others. Indeed, the Talmud
concludes when a person shows the white
of his teeth to another by smiling widely, it
is more beneficial than giving a cup of milk
to drink. Why the comparison to milk?
Rav Shlomo Wolbe explains that milk
nourishes and nurtures growth. What milk
does for the body, a smile does for the heart
and soul. He writes that just as plants require
sunshine to live, converting the rays of the
sun into nutrients, people convert smiles
into energy and strength, and without it they
wilt and perish. Dogs and cats can’t smile.
Smiling at one another is part of what
differentiates us as humans.
Make an effort to always have a smile. Let’s
all be active members of the Jewish people’s
cast and convert our shuls and communities
into the happiest places on Earth.