ANNUAL REPORT 2022-2023
BBYO is the Jewish community’s largest pluralistic youth movement, engaging thousands of teens in values-based leadership development and delivering fun, meaningful, and affordable experiences that inspire a lasting connection to the Jewish people.
REFLECTIONS FROM BBYO’S LEADERSHIP
Dear Friends,
If BBYO is any indication, Jewish teens are looking to connect with their Jewish faith, their Jewish heritage—and each other—more than ever before.
From Fall 2022 to Summer 2023, BBYO expanded rapidly to dozens of new communities around the world as we approached our 100th year. We welcomed an astonishing 5,400 new members, with new chapters launched in 20 new communities worldwide, including El Salvador, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan. And with the continued success of the For Every Jewish Teen campaign, BBYO reached thousands of teens in areas with small or mid-sized Jewish populations—rising to meet the post-COVID demand for connection and togetherness.
Throughout the fall, conventions, regional events, and chapter programs returned across the Order. A highlight of the year, BBYO International Convention in Dallas, Texas was the largest in our history—with nearly 3,200 teens attending from 44 countries. And speaking of history, for the first time, we were joined by a former Israeli Head of State, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and The Second Gentleman, Douglas Emhoff, who inspired teens with keynote speeches, while joining them for small-group dialogues and panels on Israel, antisemitism, and the role of youth leadership in society.
Below are just a few of the highlights of our last year—we hope you enjoy reading them. More than ever, we are grateful to you for making BBYO’s impact possible, and hopeful for what lies ahead in the next 100 years. Thank you for your support and generous investment in the BBYO Movement, and for helping us bring about a strong and more connected global movement of Jewish youth.
Levi Fox
98th Grand Aleph Godol
Avi Gorodetski
78th Anita M. Perlman International N'siah
Matthew Grossman
Chief Executive Officer
Craig Weiss
Board Chair
A YEAR OF GROWTH AND INNOVATION
With record attendance at in-person events and thousands of new members joining at an unprecedented rate, BBYO teens around the world imagined new possibilities for connectivity, growth, and engagement. In FY23, in response to skyrocketing demand, BBYO reached more Jewish teens in more communities than ever before in our history—culminating in the launch of our Centennial celebration in May and a spectacular Summer 2023.
HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR YEAR
THE LAUNCH OF BBYO’S CENTENNIAL YEAR
After revealing our new Centennial logo and website at BBYO International Convention 2023, the celebration of our 100th year kicked off on May 3, 2023, exactly one year before the official birthday of the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA). Throughout the summer, teens engaged in programs at camp and in their communities to prepare them to mobilize their peers and recruit record-breaking numbers of members in honor of our milestone year. Hundreds of adults, alumni, and supporters pre-registered for International Convention 2024, the first time every member of the BBYO community was invited to attend IC. You can learn more about BBYO’s Centennial year here and explore different ways to get involved—celebrations are taking place around the Order throughout the year.
DEVELOPING THE LEADERS OUR WORLD NEEDS
With access to meaningful leadership development opportunities at the local, regional, and international levels, BBYO provides teens with a safe space and support system as they build new skills while offering them the tools and training to develop into dedicated, impactful leaders, inspired to unite in bettering our world.
ADDRESSING ANTISEMITISM
BBYO and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) forged an innovative partnership to better train and equip thousands of teens with the skills to respond to antisemitism in their communities and online, particularly as they combat the spread of misinformation on social media. BBYO and the ADL also launched a joint website for teens to report incidents of antisemitism, notifying those who can can provide assistance.
GIVING TEENS A VOICE
In March, BBYO teen leaders and alumni, including teens from BBYO’s sibling community in Israel, Maccabi Tzair, were called upon to speak on a panel in the Israeli Knesset about the impact of proposed judicial reforms on diaspora relations. Teens addressed Israel’s elected leaders with their perspectives on the reforms’ impact on diaspora relations among youth in their communities.
TAKING ACTION TOGETHER
Thousands of teens organized 116 hands-on service and learning sessions in April for J-Serve: the International Day of Jewish Youth Service. As part of this global initiative, members of BBYO Red River Region (Canada) invited a local expert to educate teens about the realities of homelessness in their community, after which teens prepared care packages of gloves and hats as well as hygiene products and snacks in partnership with a local non-profit, Main Street Project.
SUPPORTING SIBLINGS IN UKRAINE
Teens across the Movement this year organized supply drives, fundraisers, and relief efforts in support of their peers in Ukraine who continue to live in crisis—many of whom joined them and built close ties through summer experiences and International Convention this year. Teens in BBYO Eastern Region, who have a close partnership with their sister city in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, held a bake sale on Purim to raise funds for their siblings through the JDC.
FOR EVERY JEWISH TEEN, EVERYWHERE
The world’s largest and most inclusive Jewish youth movement, BBYO welcomed new members and chapters from Arkansas, Australia, Oklahoma, South Africa, Singapore, Taiwan, and more, as teens continued to find creative ways to engage with their peers across countries and continents.
OUR MOVEMENT TRANSCENDS BORDERS
Earlier this year, 10 BBYO members from Hungary and 10 from Israel organized a new exchange program in which they spent a week learning, exploring, and bonding in each of their home countries. Teens stayed with host families, visited each other’s schools, and immersed themselves in their countries’ unique history and communities, including celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut in Israel and visiting landmarks across Hungary.
HIGH-IMPACT REGIONAL CONVENTIONS
This year, 6,146 attendees gathered for 81 regional conventions across the U.S., coming together for immersive weekend experiences centered around friendship, fun, and celebrating Judaism. In BBYO Evergreen Region, teens heard from Analucía Lopezrevoredo, who founded Jewtina y Co. to provide Latin Jews with a community to explore their multicultural heritage and identity. She spoke with teens about racial equity through the lens of Judaism and inspired them to think about ways to ensure BBYO programming is inclusive.
WHY NOT UGANDA?
In November, teens from 10 villages representing synagogues across Uganda and Kenya gathered in Namutumba, Uganda, to participate in Uganda’s very first BBYO Shabbaton. Throughout the weekend, participants explored topics from the role of youth in society and Judaism to the celebration of such a broad representation of Jewish communities in Uganda and Kenya. Now—a little over a year later—Uganda is home to more than 400 BBYO teens.
CROSS-CULTURAL CONNECTIVITY
On Global Shabbat, a worldwide event in December with Shabbat dinners and gatherings organized by teens spanning 119 communities, the Movement rallied together around the theme, “Everyone, Everywhere.” BBYO teens in St. Louis, Missouri invited an educator to join them at the Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum for Global Shabbat. They took a tour together of the newly renovated facility and then joined together for a warm and welcoming communal Shabbat dinner.
ADDRESSING TEEN MENTAL HEALTH
As studies continue to identify historic lows in teen mental health, the role of BBYO’s Movement in supporting Jewish teens socially, emotionally, physically, and mentally has grown in both scope and importance. This year, teens, parents, advisors, and professionals came together to explore tools for addressing teen mental health, learn about available resources, and identify and strengthen essential support systems.
LEADING THE WAY ON WELLNESS
Launched in 2019, the BBYO Center for Adolescent Wellness (BBYO-CAW) continues to coach, train, and support Jewish and youth-serving organizations nationwide in creating inclusive and nurturing environments where adolescents can thrive. Over the past year, BBYO-CAW offered bespoke trainings through partnerships with the JCC Association, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, RootOne, and the Foundation for Jewish Camp.
REFLECTING ON OUR VALUES
Led by a committee of BBYO members and staff, the teen Code of Conduct and Community Standards guideline was updated this year to more strongly emphasize the positive values of the BBYO community and provide guidance related to gender identity and sexual harassment. BBYO teens produced a video about these updated agreements with their peers across the Movement, and led a new training at IC 2023 in partnership with Jewish LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Keshet.
PROVIDING SUPPORT TO PARENTS
Throughout the year, the BBYO Parent Advisory Council organized monthly virtual events for BBYO parents with licensed health professionals, renowned speakers, and educators, to help parents support their teens’ emotional health and well-being. Attended by thousands, these programs featured speakers such as Dr. Dana Dorfman, a clinically-trained teen mental health advocate; Dr. Lisa Damour, a New York Times bestselling author and child psychologist; and Dr. Samantha Vinokur-Meinrath, an educator who helps teens understand and navigate antisemitism. View last year’s parent events here.
EVOLVING TO MEET TEENS’ NEEDS
This year, BBYO hired more licensed wellness professionals than ever before to support the growing numbers of teens and elevated mental health needs at BBYO overnight programs. Onsite, highly-trained wellness professionals enable BBYO to provide critical care, identify red flags, and offer a robust support system to teens—meeting their needs as they travel away from home, navigate new experiences, or share their emotions in a close and safe environment.
BBYO INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 2023
Everything is bigger in Texas—and BBYO International Convention 2023 was no different. A record-breaking 3,200 Jewish teens, representing 44 countries, enjoyed the experience of a lifetime as they learned, led, and celebrated their Judaism together over five days of teen-led programs, plenaries, and Shabbat offerings.
Teens were joined by hundreds of dignitaries, speakers, artists, advocates, philanthropists, and celebrities, who engaged delegates in meaningful dialogue on the power of youth in shaping global democracies today.
THE POWER OF A GLOBAL MOVEMENT
Leading up to the official start of International Convention 2023, nearly 500 Jewish teen leaders from 44 countries, including Romania, Australia, Sweden and Ukraine, among others participated in the first-ever BBYO Global Leadership Forum. The Forum is an innovative, 24-hour immersive event featuring specialized trainings and leadership seminars designed to support the growth of our global BBYO communities.
WELCOMING THE SECOND GENTLEMAN
Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff addressed a crowd of thousands of teens at IC Opening Ceremonies, offering a powerful message of hope and pride and reinforcing the administration’s solidarity with Jewish people. Mr. Emhoff also participated alongside BBYO teens on a panel on antisemitism, exploring ways to address antisemitism and hearing directly from teens about their experiences and need for tools, support, and resources.
A PANEL WITH ISRAEL’S PRIME MINISTER
Eight BBYO teen leaders sat side-by-side with Israel’s 13th Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, on a panel at IC moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jodi Kantor. Alongside Prime Minister Bennett, teens had the opportunity to share their own perspectives on an array of topics including youth activism, leadership, and democracy, and presented questions and reflections about Israel and the Israel-diaspora relationship today.
EXPLORING JUDAISM EXPERIENTIALLY
J-Lab, one of the most popular exhibits at IC, offers teens a hands-on Jewish playground where they can explore rituals, utilize art to connect to Judaism, and even feel immersed in the land of Israel while standing in a conference room in Dallas. This year, teens played music from a giant, custom jukebox featuring songs popular in Israel over the last 75 years, and experienced a “Night in the Negev” through a six-foot spinning vortex designed to simulate a magical night under the stars in Israel’s desert.
LIVESTREAMING IC WORLDWIDE
Throughout the year, a record-breaking 163 teens served on the BBYO Press Corps developing journalistic skills from writing and editing, to photography and videography, to PR and podcasting. At IC, Press Corps members provided comprehensive coverage of the weekend’s events to audiences worldwide, livestreaming seven broadcasts to 174,446 viewers across the globe. In addition to speaking with peers and livestreaming IC highlights, teens interviewed keynote speakers including Jewish NBA player Ryan Turrell and David Hogg, Co-Founder of March for Our Lives.
A HISTORIC INTERNATIONAL BOARD
At IC this year, for the first time in our history, five teens from outside of North America were elected to the teen International Board—representing Argentina, Canada, Germany, and Spain, as well as the United States—exemplifying the strength of our global Movement and a sense of unity that defines our Order.
IGNITING THE BBYO ALUMNI NETWORK
The first convening of the Alumni Advisory Council, a new cohort of alumni working together to strengthen a global network of tens of thousands of fellow alumni worldwide, took place this year at IC. Council members had the opportunity to experience, or return, to IC as adults as they began planning for the launch of BBYO’s new Alumni Association at IC 2024. They also explored new ways in which BBYO can meaningfully inspire and engage alumni across the globe at a pinnacle moment for our Movement amidst celebrations of our Centennial year.
2023 SPEAKER HIGHLIGHTS
A lineup of more than 300 renowned community leaders, elected officials, activists, entrepreneurs, and incredible speakers joined BBYO teens at IC to share their stories and offer inspiration.
KUZDI CHIKUMBU
Global Head of Creator Marketing & Lifestyle Influencer, TikTok
DEBORAH LIPSTADT
U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
GABBY DOUGLAS
Three Time U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist
CHRIS OLSEN
Actor & Digital Creator
PAUL FINEBAUM
Talk Show Host, ESPN
MADDIE ZIEGLER
Professional Dancer, Model, Influencer and Actress
OUR BEST SUMMER YET
BBYO teens traveled around the world this summer forming new friendships, learning new skills, and experiencing new cultures. Whether they joined their peers on a BBYO Passport trip to Costa Rica, Israel, Spain or any one of a dozen countries BBYO travels to, or participated in a camp-based domestic leadership program like CLTC, ILTC, or International Kallah, thousands of teens returned home inspired to elevate and enrich their Jewish identities, their BBYO communities, and our global Movement.
INVESTING IN EMERGING LEADERS
At Chapter Leadership Training Conference (CLTC), BBYO’s summer leadership program for emerging young leaders, teens spend 12 days in a joyful, relaxing outdoor setting with friends, diving deep into leadership development as they form mock BBYO chapters and explore new skills and management tools. A highlight of CLTC this summer was an interactive “Shark Tank” experience, where teens worked together to build the most creative event and then pitched it to a panel of judges in a fun, friendly competition.
MENTORSHIP FROM ROLE MODELS
As part of their participation in International Leadership Training Conference (ILTC), teens break into small groups and are matched with a mentor in the field to guide them on their leadership journeys. From these role models, teens learn how to grow their chapters and programs, build positive and enriching program experiences, and create impactful change in their communities—deepening their skills and receiving coaching from older BBYO members and inspiring adult leaders.
PLURALIST PERSPECTIVES
Israel 360, now in its fifth year, is a highlight each summer at International Kallah. During the program, teens engage with educators and experts on aspects of Israeli culture, politics, and life, and ask questions about their diverse views and perspectives. Among this year’s guests were Ali Abu Awwad (a Palestinian peace activist), Josh Drill (a spokesperson for the national protests in Israel), Oded Revivi (the mayor of Efrat), and Liron Lavi Turknish (an artist who crafted a writing system merging the Hebrew and Arabic alphabets).
EXPLORING ISRAEL
Teens participating in International Leadership Seminar in Israel (ILSI), an elite leadership training program that uses Israel as a backdrop for personal exploration, learning, and growth, have the opportunity to visit historic landmarks and sites while connecting with fellow Movement leaders from around the world. While visiting Tel Aviv, teens explored facets of Israel from tech and innovation, to arts and culture, to LGBTQ+ advocacy and community.
CREATING CONNECTIONS
This year, three Jewish Ethiopian-Israeli teens joined their peers on a BBYO Passport trip to Israel through a special collaboration with the Ethiopian National Project (ENP). Even though these teens reside in Israel, as part of this experience, they visited some of Israel’s most famous sites for the very first time—floating in the Dead Sea with peers from around the world as they shared their personal stories of emigrating to Israel and created connections across a diverse global Movement.
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS BBYO?
As the world’s largest pluralistic Jewish youth movement, BBYO has 35,000+ members in 725 communities and 61 countries. Explore the map below to see where BBYO is making a difference in the lives of Jewish teens today—and where we’ve grown our impact across the globe.
New BBYO Communities
Bainbridge, Washington
Berks County, Pennsylvania
Cancun, Mexico
Chittenden County Cities, Vermont
Coos Bay, Oregon Coast
El Salvador
Hamilton, Ontario
Kent, Connecticut
Maple, Ontario
Maui, Hawaii
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
Monterrey, Mexico
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Park City, Utah
Puerto Rico
Sacramento, California
Singapore
Staten Island (Bay Ridge), New York
Taipei, Taiwan
Tampa, Florida
BBYO IN THE NEWS
Throughout the year, BBYO events and milestones are often covered by members of the global media, highlighting some of the most exciting moments taking place across the Movement. Below are a few highlights of this coverage in various print and digital publications.
