Just in time for the High Holy Days, Let's Play Jewish Geography

Everywhere I go, when I say where I am from, more times than not I am asked if I know somebody. I'm not just talking about in the state of New York. At school in Boston, on vacation in St. Maarten, and on a trip to Israel, I have met people who have a mutual friend or acquaintance. What do all these people have in common, besides the pleasure of knowing me? They are all Jewish. 

We all know what Jewish geography is. There are even beliefs that everyone on Earth is connected by, at the most, six different people. This just may be possible. Think about all of the different people you are acquainted with in Dix Hills. Then think of friends of theirs you have met at parties, get-togethers, in school, through family, or tons of other ways. Though Long Island really isn't that big, we all seem to know hundreds, even thousands of people who live here. Add in the people you have met on vacation, at camp, at school, or anywhere else you may go for a short or extended period of time. Whether you have added them as a Facebook friend or not, you are still connected with all of these people you have met. Isn't it fascinating that wherever I go, I find someone with a mutual friend?

Over the summer I was privileged enough to get onto a Birthright trip. I traveled to Israel with a group of 45 students. Many of these students went to school in Boston, but there were a handful that went to other schools throughout the United States. The introductions each of us had to one another was the biggest game of Jewish geography I have seen. I already had connections with the majority of these people from my hometown, my sister, my roommates, acquaintances from my college, Hebrew school, high school, and other places. What many refer to as the "Jewish connection" really does exist. 

Now I am back at Boston University, where I am even more connected to people in different parts of the states. Through rabbis, professors and fellow students, I am now proud to say that I have met people from over 30 different countries including Serbia, Colombia and Kuwait. You could say it is because of the diversity of the city, but never underestimate your popularity, Dix Hillians. Jewish or not, you know more people than you think!