When seeking the meaning of Jew Crew, there are many places that one may start. The dictionary, however, is one place that I would not advise. The dictionary, although generally useful, falls short here and is downright unhelpful, if not mendacious.

Using the two words “Jew” and “Crew” as well as a copy of Webster’s dictionary, I have compiled and compressed the two definitions given, and have created a new one that, in theory at least, should hold the coveted meaning of Jew Crew: “an organized group of or relating to Jews or their culture or religion.” This definition, although very wordy, misses the mark on several highly important points.

Jew Crew is certainly a group, frequently organized, and made up entirely of Jews, but it is also much more than that. Jew Crew, to me as well as to my fellow Crewers, is a way of life, a grouping of like-minded individuals, and, quite frankly, fun.

One may dispute the statement that Jew Crew is a way of life; this person, although free to argue, would be incorrect. To prove my point I call as evidence the Jew Crew t-shirt. Aside from being beyond awesome, the t-shirt, as well as the Jew Crewers who wear it proudly, is a living testament to just how much devotion is given to the Crew by its members.

As my second vindication, I call forth the example of just how many people show up to the events. During the last Jew Crew trip to Boston for a scavenger hunt, we were able to pack a standard size school bus completely full of eager faces and still have a few who required a 15-seat van for transportation, as there were too few seats on the bus. Seeing this kind of turnout, it would be hard to argue that people are not excited for Jew Crew.

Also, one must take into consideration the great diversity and quantity of events that Jew Crew has offered. There has always been something for everyone. For the sports oriented, Jew Crew has offered snow tubing, laser tag, and paint ball. For the artistic, there is sushi making, and for the musical there are Matisyahu concerts. But forget not the altruistic side of Jew Crew as well; the sushi made by the Jew Crewers was donated to charity.

So, under the penalty of sounding cliché, I wish to recap just what Jew Crew means to me. To me, Jew Crew means a good time. A good time not only because of the events that are offered, or the people that go, or the difference that is made by the charity work, or even the deliciously kosher food, but rather all of the above, as without any one of the parts, the rest are unbalanced and incomplete. Anything less and it simply isn’t Jew Crew.

Dan is a sophomore at Swampscott High School and this is his second year as a member of Jew Crew.