The Game of the Tribe



For many, Sunday afternoons dredge up the image of gallons of coffee, hours at Lamont, and inexplicable rashes. But for



For many, Sunday afternoons dredge up the image of gallons of coffee, hours at Lamont, and inexplicable rashes. But for a select few, this past Sunday meant something a little less stressful, something more along the lines of a nice game of…Gaga. What? Don’t worry, non-Jews can play too.

So what is Gaga? Michael I. Levin-Gesundheit ’08, one of the organizers of the event, explains. “It’s a form of dodgeball thought to have originated in Israel, usually played in a sandy pit at a lot of Jewish Community Center camps.” Due to the lack of a pit at the Harvard Hillel, where the game was held, students instead lined up six folding tables on their sides to form a make-shift pit. “With each bounce, everyone says the word ga…ga…ga,” Levin-Gesundheit slowly enunciates, illustrating the suspense between bounces. After the third bounce, the game is a free-for-all, and Levin-Gesundheit briefly demonstrates the speedy footwork and hand-eye coordination necessary for victory in this below-the-knees game. Seem a little intense? Relax. Levin-Gesundheit assures us that “some would say it’s both infantile in name and practice.”

Not all of the participants share Levin-Gesundheit’s views. Dripping in sweat, Crimson Sports Chair Jonathan J. Lehman ’09 avows that “Harvard should really consider Gaga its 42nd varsity sport.” Fellow Gaga-guru Jaime S.M. Guarnaccia ’08 agrees, adding that “they should make a Gaga movie, like ‘Dodgeball.’”

So was this a one-time event, or can Harvard students count on a weekly Gaga game to get us through the Sunday slump? “We have to build up momentum, but we’re hoping to have at least two more games this year,” Levin-Gesundheit says. So, next time you’re looking for a good way to put off that pesky problem set, FM suggests looking out for the opportunity to embrace Jewish tradition by nailing your peers with balls.