Have you heard the term “Jewish geography”?

You can actually find the definition on wikipedia.com:

“a popular “game” sometimes played when American Jews meet each other for the first time and try to identify people they know in common……and it’s often surprisingly easy for strangers who play it to discover mutual acquaintances and establish instant context and connection.”

Today I attended a recruitment event for “Rosh Hodesh: It’s A Girl Thing!” (The youth group I have been facilitating for five years). It was an afternoon gathering for mothers and daughters to learn about the program. After meeting some of the moms, it doesn’t take long for the game to begin. Here’s how it usually goes:

Someone: “Where did you go to high school?’
Me: “Oh, I didn’t grow up here. I’m from Chicago.”
Someone: “Really, what part of Chicago?”
Me: “Highland Park.”
Someone: “You must know so and so Goldstein!”

And the thing is, nine times out of ten, I do. Then you’ll hear the phrase “it’s such a small world!” And for Jews, it kind of is. I don’t know if this phenomenon occurs regularly in other religions/cultures but this is the norm in my world. It really is amazing how quickly the connections can be made.

It’s the whole “six degrees of separation” theory in action. Except I find that it’s usually only two or three degrees. For example, my mom’s best childhood friend (from Skokie, Illinois) was my mother-in-law’s college roommate! (My mother-in-law is from Bourbon, Missouri). How random is that? Not to mention the daily conversations with people at the gym, the preschool, the mall or any given community event that lead to “it’s such a small world!” This one knows my camp boyfriend from 1986, that one’s cousin was in my high school graduating class, and the other one’s aunt did my Bat Mitzvah invitations. So on and so forth.

You might say, “so what?” Well, I’ll tell you. I consider it one of the blessings of being Jewish. Of being a minority. Of being part of a small and (voluntary or involuntary) close knit community. See, I moved here seven years ago knowing no one but my husband. And almost on a daily basis, I experience these personal connections.

And the game never gets old. The older you get, the better player you become. So go ahead and ask me if I know your Jewish friend who had a brother at the University of Miami while I was there. I probably will.