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A few weeks ago, I boarded the overnight flight from LA to New York, and I was thrilled to see the middle seat next to me was empty. For a coach enthusiast like myself, that’s a huge win—especially since I’m not the best sleeper on planes.

The young man in the window seat, probably in his mid-30s, struck up a quick conversation. Noticing my yarmulke, he told me he was Jewish and that he’d been visiting LA to care for his elderly father, who was ill. He, too, was relieved to have the middle seat free. We exchanged a few pleasantries, and as the plane took off, I leaned back, claimed my armrest, and felt like a million bucks.

A few minutes later, I noticed his carry-on bag rustling… and out popped a sweet little dog. My row mate looked at me sheepishly and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him completely—I’m not asking for a bark mitzvah,” and laughed. Then he promptly fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, the dog had other plans. As I tried to drift off, he licked my hands, rested his head on my lap, and looked at me with those big eyes, like I was his long-lost best friend. I thought about waking his owner—it wasn’t my responsibility, after all—but I felt bad. I remembered what he said about his father and how exhausted he was, and I figured maybe this was a small way I could do something kind for someone going through a tough time.

Judaism teaches the value of anonymous mitzvot—good deeds done quietly, with no expectation of thanks or recognition. I decided this would be one of mine.

People often ask me if students know who I am and the effort I put into raising our annual budget so they can have Jewish community on their campus. After all, JGO is now active on 156 graduate campuses across the U.S., and we’re on track to host almost 700 events for nearly 11,000 Jewish grad students this school year. But the students usually just know JGO—not my efforts. And honestly, I like it that way.

I get joy from giving to people quietly. And as I gently petted my surprise travel buddy while my neighbor snored away, I felt peaceful knowing that Jewish life on grad campuses is thriving where it didn’t exist before.

Because that’s also my private mitzvah.