“There are tons of people in this organization, and it’s just really cool to be able to connect with your Judaism and be with all these fun and amazing people,” junior Tamara Rubinsky said.
BBYO, which stands for B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, is a youth-led nonprofit that provides an inclusive space for thousands of Jewish teens across the globe to explore and embrace different aspects of their identity.
BBYO traces its roots back to 1924 when a small group of Jewish high school boys formed the Aleph Zadik Aleph, or AZA, fraternity to create a community for leadership, brotherhood, and Jewish identity. As AZA grew, a parallel group for Jewish girls—called the B’nai B’rith Girls, or BBG—was established in 1944. Over time, these groups merged under BBYO, creating a global, completely youth-led movement. Today, BBYO continues to provide Jewish teens with a close-knit community, leadership opportunities, and travel experiences.
With over 700 chapters across 60 countries, the organization creates a large global network of Jewish teens. BBYO also has summer experiences like leadership camps and travel programs to Israel and Europe, along with worldwide conventions. “My favorite event is probably going to the International Convention,” Rubinsky said. “There are around 5,000 teens, and you get to meet with them, and learn traditions that they do within their own chapters which are specific to a city.”
Conventions provide opportunities for different chapters to meet and build friendships. “There’s an international convention and regional conventions,” Rubinsky said. “The international convention is with all chapters in BBYO while the regional conventions are just within your area, so people in the Bay Area versus people all around the world.
Within the M-A community, many Jewish teens are in El Al BBG, the local girls chapter, or Simon Wiesenthal AZA, the equivalent for boys. The girls’ and boys’ chapters occasionally come together to celebrate holidays like Shabbat and attend conventions together. Through local chapters, teens can also run for board positions, such as N’siah (president) for BBG chapters and Godol (president) for AZA chapters. “I am Mazkirah, which means the corresponding secretary, so I manage our Instagram, TikTok, and work with inactive members to try to bring them back to events,” sophomore Saskia Kroes said.
Through BBYO teens get opportunities to engage in community service. One key event is J-Serve, the largest local Jewish volunteering initiative of the year for BBYO, which takes place at both chapter and regional levels. This year, their local Menlo Park chapter plans to decorate mini houses for the homeless in Oakland. “Chapters also have board positions that specialize in volunteering on the chapter level,” Kroes said.
Friendships are also formed through BBYO. “We always try to connect with other people and find new ways to help impact our community.” Rubinksy said.
BBYO also offers more religious events for members to take part in, including weekly Shabbat dinners at different people’s houses. “Every Friday, we come together, light candles, and pray,” Kroes said.
BBYO empowers teens to learn more about their identities and connect with others. “It’s a great organization that provides me with a lot of opportunities and connections,” junior Josie Weiss said.
