to: uur
From: Our Leaders
Seventy-five years and we're still here!
Seventy-five years and it's still clear!
Shalom chaverim m'Eretz Yisrael! Yes, I am here in
Israel to help staff one of BBYO's premier programs -
the International Leadership Study in Israel (ILSI). We
have gathered together here at Beit Feldman near
Natanya 110 teens, who have in common two impor-
tant things - they are all Jews, and they are all involved
in BBYO. They come from various parts of the world.
Sixty-three are from North America - from Vancouver,
BC, to Miami, FL, and from Irvine, CA , to Oceanside,
NY, including two from our own Michigan Region.
Thirty-four are from Israel itself, chosen with care from
Noar L'Noar (BBYO District 14) chapters throughout
the Jewish state. BBYO District 15 is represented by two
youth - one from England and the other from Ireland, while Eastern Europe is represent-
ed by eight young people from Bulgaria and three from Romania.
These young people are paired with outstanding Jewish educators whose goal will
be to examine Jewish thought and leadership from Biblical times through contemporary
Israel and the Jewish world. They will participate in daily seminars, travel to sites where
Jewish history actually happened, have opportunities for self-expression through arts
and crafts, and actually form their own Jewish community. I can't help but be excited
about the impact that this program will have on its participants.
However, just being in Israel on a teen program is so important to the lives of our
young people. Where else can they incorporate the different senses of Jewishness they
will experience here, the idea of homeland, and how Israel and the Diaspora interre-
late. For me, Israel visits have always resulted in unique, cherished memories.
- I remember the first time I stepped off the plane, saw the "Welcome to Israel" sign
at Ben Gurion airport, and realized that I had become the first in my family to reach the
Jewish homeland.
- I remember working the land at Moledet, a moshav sh'tulei near Afula, getting up
at 4:00 in the morning to pick melons.
- I remember traveling for five clays across the Sinai peninsula, with the highlight of
climbing Mt. Sinai in the pitch black of night for three arduous hours.
- I remember standing at attention in downtown Jerusalem with drivers who
stopped their cars and did the same as the siren sounded on Yom Hazikaron (Israel
Memorial Day) remembering those who had fallen in defense of the State.
- I remember watching fireworks shoot into the sky over Tiberias from a boat in the
middle of the Kinneret on Yam Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day).
- I remember seeing Yitzchak Rabin speak to us at an Israeli airbase, already a hero
but not yet a martyr.
- I remember the first time I approached the Kotel (Western Wall), our tie to the
Second Temple, how I caressed it, and stood as a Jew, a part of history.
How important is an Israel experience for today's youth? It adjusts our perspective,
fans the flame of our identity, and makes a permanent connection to the Land and its
People. Don't let your child or grandchild miss out on the Israel experience. And when
you do decide to send him/her, consider all the opportunities that BBYO has to offer.
From humble beginnings in Omaha,
Nebraska, to tremendous growth throughout the
nation, the continent, and the world. Through
peacetime and wartime, from generation to
1
generation, through volunteer leadership and
professional social workers, BBYO has stood the
test of time. BBYO - an organization that has been
constantly challenged to exhibit its relevance to the youth of the day...and one
that has consistently met that challenge.
Leadership Training - preparing our youth to be the leaders of tomorrow's
community, both Jewish and secular.
Jewish Heritage - helping our young people find a place for themselves in
Jewish life - one with which they will be comfortable.
Community Service - developing the concept of caring about others and
putting that concept into action, both through personal involvement and a
sensitivity to charitable giving.
Brotherhood/Sisterhood - solidifying relationships among the many teens
involved toward the end of creating "Friends For Life."
Relation to Israel - fostering understanding and support of Israel's unique
mission in the world and its strategic importance to Diaspora Jewish
communities.
Have we clone it? Has BBYO succeeded in its mission? Just look around
you. Look at business leaders, civic leaders, rabbis and Jewish educators,
synagogue and temple leaders, Federation leaders, and, of course, B'nai B'rith
leaders. Walk into any gathering of Jewish people and take a poll. BBYO
alumni are everywhere and involved in everything.
From the storefront on Seven Mile Road to the one on James Couzens in
Detroit, from the office on Ten Mile and Lahser to the one on Twelve Mile
and Lathrop in Southfield, from Northwestern Highway in Southfield to Maple
and Drake in West Bloomfield, the BBYO office has moved from place to
place, following the pattern of Jewish demographics in the last 40 years. One
thing that has not moved, however, is the place that BBYO holds in the hearts
of those who came through the program. Toward that end, our BBYO Board
shall continue to strive to provide the kind of support to our young people that
will allow them to achieve success for themselves and, through them, for
BBYO. Seventy-five years is not enough - here's to the next seventy-five years
of serving our community's greatest treasure - its Jewish youth.
B'shalom,
Sincerely,
Arnold J. Weiner, MSW
Senior Executive Regional Director
Deborah Stern
Chairperson, BBYO Board of Directors
BBYO
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OCTOBER 10
Council Caravans to Ann Arbor &
Windsor - 12:30 p.m.
OCTOBER 16
AZA 75th Anniversary Celebration
Gem Theatre, Detroit - 8:30 p.m.
OCTOBER 17
BBG Mind Body Attitude (MBA) Day
West Bloomfield JCC
FLANS
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B
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Y
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Biggest Best Youth Organization!
OCTOBER 29-31
Fall Conclave - Camp Maas, Ortonville
NOVEMBER 21
Jewish Heritage Night - West
Bloomfield JCC - 7:00-8:30 p.m.
DECEMBER 23-28
Regional Convention
West Bloomfield JCC
JANUARY 21
Jewish Heritage Night - Synagogue/
Temple TBA - 8:00-10:30 p.m.
JANUARY 28-30
Senior Getaway Weekend -
Milan Conference Centre -
Belle River, Ontario
OCT. 17-DEC. 5
AZA Flag Football League - West
Bloomfield JCC - 2:00-4:00 p.m.
JANUARY 8-9
Advisor Training Overnight
Windsor, Ontario
FEBRUARY 4-6
Young Leadership Conclave I - Milan
Conf. Centre - Belle River, Ontario
OCTOBER 24
BBYO Summer Program Open House
& Parent Meeting - WBJCC
JANUARY 16-APRIL 9
AZA Basketball League - West
Bloomfield JCC - 5:00-7:00 p.m.
FEBRUARY 25-27
Young Leadership Conclave II - Milan
Conf. Centre - Belle River, Ontario
BBYO ITYACHAD 0 TOGETHER 0 BBYO aNACHAD 0 TOGETHER 0 BBYO BAACHAD 0 TOGETHER 0 BBYO BAACHAD 0 TOGETHER