Shapiro AZA members perform "Be

Our Guest" at the 2011 Regional
Convention Talent Show.

Ronelle Grier
Contributing Writer

I

f it is challenging to be a Jewish teen
in today's high-tech, culturally diverse
and increasingly competitive world,
then providing fun and meaningful expe-
riences for these teens can be equally
daunting, even for a Jewish organization
that has devoted itself to this cause for
almost 90 years.
Fortunately, BBYO (formerly the B'nai
B'rith Youth Organization) has a new
strategic plan that includes an updated
brand and innovative ideas to better
serve the changing needs of its teen-
age participants in Metro Detroit and
throughout the world.
Founded in 1924, BBYO exists today in
more than 100 communities worldwide,
involving more than 250,000 teens and
alumni. On the local front, about 800
Oakland County teens belong to the 17
chapters that comprise the Michigan
Region: eight boys chapters, known as
AZA (Aleph Zadik Aleph), and nine BBG
(B'nai B'rith Girls) chapters.
Michigan Regional Director Eric
Adelman estimates that approximately
1,500 local Jewish teens, or one out of
four in the area, were impacted by BBYO
in some way last year. In addition to the
chapter members, 400 middle school
students participated in a new program
called BBYO Connect, while another 300
teens attended various BBYO-sponsored
community events.

16 February 23 • 2012

Adelman said these numbers have
risen about 35 percent over the past
three years, and he expects participation
to increase even further this year, with
the biggest growth coming from BBYO
Connect.
"So many teens see their bar or bat
mitzvah as the end of their Jewish
journey instead of the beginning;' said
Adelman, a former member of Detroit's
now-defunct Groucho Marx AZA chap-
ter. "That's why focusing on the middle
schools is the key to success. Our goal is
to turn Jewish teens into Jewish adults!'
The organization felt that reaching
teens during the middle-school years was
important enough to warrant hiring new
staff member, Danny Bittker, who will
serve as BBYO Connect program associ-
ate. Bittker, a former member of Yitzhak
Rabin AZA, plans to meet with middle-
school teens and their parents to deter-
mine how best to meet the needs of this
population. Preliminary plans include
social programs, athletics, travel to Israel
and community service projects.
"Hopefully, we'll begin to stem the tide
of the exodus from Jewish life that we
often see in kids that age said Adelman,
who hopes the program will become a
national model for engaging middle-
schoolers in Jewish activities and organi-
zations.
The new strategic plan, which includes
an updated version of the traditional
menorah logo, was prompted by an
impact study that showed adults who had

participated in BBYO during their teen
years had more involvement in Jewish life
and stronger Jewish identity than those
who had no connection to BBYO.

Teen Involvement
A highlight of the year is the annual
Regional Convention, or RC, a five-day
marathon of programs and good-natured
chapter competitions held during winter
break. After weeks of practice, the teens
present a variety of innovative songs,
cheers, oration, culinary creations and
more to more than 90 volunteer judges.
Approximately 450 teens participated in
this year's RC, which included contests
for handmade siddurs, home-baked chal-
lahs and original d'var Torah speeches.
The convention culminated in an all-
chapter talent show and competition
before an enthusiastic audience of more
than 1,000 at Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield.
"This year's Regional Convention
was truly the most well-rounded RC we
have had so far, with teens participating
in community service, Judaic-themed
events, sporting competitions and leader-
ship:' said Lindsey Rosenberg, BBG pro-
gram director and lead RC staff member.
"The teens truly exemplified the theme
of RC this year, which was 'Im Tirtzu'
you will it, it is no dream.')"
Adelman describes Michigan Region
BBYO as a "lean operation:' with a yearly
operating budget of $450,000, derived from
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan

Detroit as well as various grants and pri-
vate donations. Local staff also includes
Katie Fried, program associate and a for-
mer member of Ruach BBG, and Laynie
Langnas, administrative assistant.
While many organizations provide
programming for a variety of age groups,
BBYO always has been exclusively devot-
ed to teens, with an emphasis on leader-
ship development.
"Teen programming is all we do:'
Adelman said. "One reason we're success-
ful is that we believe in and practice the
concept of teen leadership!'
Leadership opportunities are available
at the local chapter, regional and interna-
tional levels.
"BBYO gives me a plethora of oppor-
tunities around the world to become
a better leader;' said Ruach BBG Vice
President Lauren Yellen, who plans on
participating in the BBYO-sponsored
"March of the Living" trip to Poland and
Israel this April.
Several local teens have gone on to
achieve leadership positions within BBYO
and in their professional lives. Current
teen members Rachel Berlin, Austin
Goodman and Lexie Sittsamer serve on
the regional board, while Eric Feldman,
former member of Kishon AZA, serves as
chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Gary Peters.
"I could never have imagined serving
on regional boards and international
committees, making such an impact and
having such an impact made on me said
Sittsamer, a senior at North Farmington
High School. "And it's cool watching the
younger members grow."
For Sittsamer and many other teens,
BBYO is a place to make friends who
share similar values.
"BBYO is the best way to meet other
Jewish teens your age, and you learn a
lot from each other by hanging out and
doing programs:' said Alex Sherman of
Birmingham, a member of Ruach BBG.

Crossing All Streams
Although specific statistics are not avail-
able, Adelman estimates the majority
of BBYO teens come from Reform or
Conservative backgrounds. He refers to
the organization as "trans-denomina-
tional:'
"If you're Jewish, you can have a place
in BBYO," Adelman said. "There are a
lot of Jews for whom this is their only
Jewish experience." He added he would
like to impact more Orthodox teens. "I
believe there's more we can and should
do together."
Other area youth groups include
NCSY (formerly National Conference of
Synagogue Youth), which serves primar-
ily Orthodox teens; Bnei Akiva, a reli-
gious Zionist youth movement; MCUSY
(Motor City United Synagogue Youth),
whose members are mainly Conservative;

