The second incident took place at the former Central Hotel in downtown Jerusalem at the time of the Knessia Gedola in 1981. Many of the gedolim and roshei yeshiva were staying at the Central and one gentleman was chiefly responsible for all of the coordination. He was a wiz at getting things done and was not afraid to throw his significant weight around.
This was decades before cell phones and even modern switchboards that most people can’t remember. In those days, the hotel’s manual switchboard operator was situated behind a high-partitioned desk and was frenetically inserting pairs of phone plugs into the appropriate jacks.
The convention coordinator turned to the young woman who was barely able to cope with the battery of calls and hard-pressed to maintain a pleasant demeanor as she answered, “Central Hotel, how may I direct your call?” The coordinator demanded that she provide him with a phone line right away. However, the young woman, who was doing the best that she could, was unable to immediately comply with the request.
Alas, this gentleman was not accustomed to being delayed. And when the failure to honor his order dragged over several seconds he inquired, “Do you know who I am?”
The young woman shot back, “Do you know how many hands I have?”
(To be continued)
Chodesh tov – have a pleasant month.