Whether you are at college, camp, or any event, you are bound to play a little game of Jewish geography. Maybe this is just me, but the first thing I do when I meet someone is try to make some type of connection. And that connection usually starts and ends with a quick game of Jewish geography. I am always down for a good game of Jewish geography. It makes a big room of people feel so much smaller, especially when you realize you share a best friend with a complete stranger.
It's every Jewish person's favorite game.
Or maybe their second favorite game, behind Rummikub of course. So, in case you haven't heard of this game, I'll give a quick explanation. It is a really simple concept but it can be a little challenging at times. The basis of the game is to try to figure out who you both know. This may start by seeing someone who looks really familiar from social media or honestly it could be someone you have never seen before. Regardless of that, if you are both Jewish, you will definitely start to talk and figure out that you have at least one friend, a friend of a friend, or a friend of a relative in common. So now that you have the basics to the game down, you can see how it is so simple yet so complicated. I literally feel like I'm taking a test when I play because I have to try to think of EVERY Jewish person I know. Like seriously, I have to think about my mom's best friend's nephew who I've never even met. But then again, I guess that's what makes Jewish geography so random but so fun. There is no better feeling than making some sort of connection with a complete stranger after only a short conversation.
The connections that you make will blow your mind.
I have made some of the weirdest connections with complete strangers. One summer at camp, there were a few Jewish campers from Argentina. They barely spoke English but somehow we managed to make the connection that one of their cousins is a girl that I know from home. Keep in mind that I live in Florida and she lives in Argentina. Or, one time, in high school, I was shopping at a store and became friendly with the person behind the register. We started to talk about what high schools we went to. I literally knew one person that went to the same school as her. It was a guy that I had gone to camp with for years. And, of course, she explained that she was close friends with him. Weird, right? The story gets better. It turns out that one of my best friends from college, from Ohio, is best friend with this same girl from home. She is originally from Ohio but had moved to Florida, which was how I met her at the store. Or, for example, another of my best friends from college is from New Jersey. Her best friend and my best friend go to a different college together. Coincidentally, our best friends are also best friends. I mean seriously, my life is just full of Jewish people who are all connected.
The game of Jewish geography never ends. I think this goes to show that no matter the distance, the language barriers, or the craziness, Jewish geography never seems to fail. Like actually. Jewish people could play this game for hours and hours and still manage to never run out of names to exchange. I feel like this game is another way for Jewish people to feel even more connected and part of one big family. So I guess that's the true essence of Jewish geography.
