Reflections from OSRUI on Birthright–Installment 1: The Airport

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by Shore (aka Daniel Shore), OSRUI Alum and OSRUI Birthright Trip Staff

How often do you arrive at the airport and within minutes have seen FOUR people you know? Okay, so maybe I set myself up for success when I agreed to staff a Birthright trip with a bunch of OSRUI alumni on it. And the familiar faces kept streaming in, and each hello varied from, “It’s so good to see you! for the first time in 7 years!” to “This feels just like staff week 2011. Wait, no, 2012. Was it really just 2 years ago?!”

Not having been back at camp since 2012, nostalgia filled the terminal for me as we gathered to check in to our United Airlines (more like ReUnited Airlines) flight. And even though there were also non-OSRUI participants on the trip, there was an instantly-established aura of a camp opening day every time someone new arrived to the meeting point, where I’d step into Rosh Eidah mode and shout over everyone to say, “Hey everyone, this is __________” and the group, without hesitation, would start making introductions and asking icebreaker questions. There’s nothing that says camp prepares people for these moments more than hearing an uninterrupted introduction that starts with, “I’m Aaron and I spilled coffee on myself at 6am this morning and it’s nice to meet you have you ever been to Israel before?” (I’m convinced they put multiple Aarons on every Birthright trip so that you can use it as the protected name in stories like this.) Everyone had arrived and was properly greeted. We were ready to check in.

Through the ticket counter, through security, and at our gate. That can only mean one thing: more icebreakers. (Now, you may have noticed at this point that we’re only at the gate, and I haven’t shared a single thing about being in Israel. Don’t worry, the pace picks up after I describe this amazing icebreaker I created on the spot without any real preparation and not knowing what my co-staff Becca thought we should do first) (see, I’ve already stopped using so much punctuation).

“Okay, sit in two concentric circles, with the inner circle facing the outer circle, and point to your partner. Oh, you’ll need to have one partner for this. Good. So this is like 2 truths and 1 lie, but it’s just 3 truths. Remember what your partner says. Done? Okay, now the inner circle rotate one person to the left. Oh, you have three people in your group? And so do you? Figure it out, you’re camp counselors.  Now, tell your new partner the 3 truths about your old partner, but make one of them a lie. Why is your hand up already? What do you mean you don’t understand? No, we’re not handing out mail right now and I don’t know what’s for lunch. I don’t have a bandaid, you’ll have to ask Becca. Because the kitchen won’t tell me before we get there. We can look for your boarding pass later. OKAY!!! Did everyone tell your new partner your old partner’s 3 truths, but make one a lie? Why is your hand up again? No, you can’t switch partners. No, you do not need to make up any new facts about your old partner. Yes, I invented this game. Now, the last step is for your new partner to guess the lie and turn to your old partner and say, “I heard ________ about you and I think it’s false!”

So, we were off to the strongest possible start, and I had grooved right back into being a counselor for these campers who had risen up like the Phoenix, even though we were in New Jersey. Now for my big announcement (and I know I promised this story would take off soon, but this is important): We had one more activity and, in order to do the activity, we needed pens. And, earlier that day, I, Shore, had purchased my first-ever box of 50 pens. And I made it very clear how important these pens were. “This is my first set of 50 pens that I’ve ever bought. They mean a lot to me. And if you were to lose one of them I’d be very hurt. I need them all back before the flight. ALL of them back before the flight. I need them.” And they all came back, each one carried toward me in the most delicate fashion so as not to hurt my new Pen Friends. And it would be a great trip.