Nehemiah Persoff, the mysterious benefactor, was born in Jerusalem. He played many parts over a long career, and portrayed characters of a number of different nationalities.
The Adam Sandler 2008 family comedy "Bedtime Stories" has a similar premise in which a handyman tells stories that suddenly come true, such as a needed car that suddenly becomes available to him for free.
The theme of showing kindness to strangers is an old one, being mentioned in the Bible (Hebrews 13:2) and in Ovid's work (Baucis and Philemon).