Chaim walks into the conference room and takes a seat at the conference table. Around the table are his coworkers-John, Allen, Mark, and Bob, as well as the ladies, Sarah and Angela. Everyone but Chaim is dressed in standard corporate dress-suits for the men and tailored pantsuits for the ladies. Chaim, however, wears the garb of an ultra-orthodox Jew. He is one of the Hasidim, a Hebrew term that comes from the Hebrew word for loving kindness, chesed, who observes the strict religious code of his religion, so he wears a yarmulke, and his hair features a single ringlet in front of each ear ("Ultra-Orthodox Judaism"; Gershom). He also has a long beard, and his clothing is all black except for his neatly pressed white shirt (Gershom). The company that this group works for, Widget International, has a diversity code that promotes acceptance of every individual regardless of race, color, religion, or other differences. However, this does not mean that all of Chaim's coworkers understand him or why he does the things he does. He has only started working there in the past week, and so far, he and his coworkers have had little opportunity to get to know each other.
The boss, Jack, walks in to start the meeting, bringing with him a brand new employee, Sandra Clark. Jack tells the group a little bit about Sandra's background and then introduces her to each member of the group in turn as they step forward to shake her hand. When Jack gets to Chaim, though, the response is different. Chaim looks down at the floor rather than in Sandra's face, and when she reaches out to shake his hand, he does not offer his own hand in return, leaving her standing there with her hand out feeling foolish (Gershom). Chaim's coworkers and boss are shocked at his behavior, not understanding that Hasidic Jews never touch or shake hands with a member of the opposite sex other than their spouse (Gershom). Jack is uncertain how to handle the...