14 | AUGUST 1 • 2024
J
N
path and journey. “It’s part of the reason
I wanted to be a rabbi and why I love
youth work,” she said.
Lader felt that connection was missing
from her youth group.
“It started with her saying, ‘I wish
my teens were able to go to Kallah, one
of BBYO’s summer programs,’” Vieder
recalled. “That started this conversation
of how do we find a way to give our teens
more — YFTI and BETY teens having
access to more and BBYO teens having
access to more Jewish education. That’s
the benefit in this partnership.”
Debbie Morosohk, Temple Beth El’s
director of education, says BBYO gives
their kids access to a bigger Jewish world.
“In the big picture for our teens, we’re
always trying to provide multiple entry
points, so that there’s not just one way
to be engaged Jewishly,” she said. “We
see becoming part of BBYO as making it
easier for them. They don’t have to make
a choice; they can have both.”
New opportunities with this partner-
ship include the conventions. Whereas
the congregational youth chapters may
only have 20 or 30 teens, BBYO has two
regional conventions a year in Michigan,
each drawing over 200 teens, and one
international convention a year, the most
recent one drawing about 4,000 teens
from around 60 countries all over the
world.
Vieder says after piloting the partner-
ship with these two congregations, there’s
a possibility of expanding. Other congre-
gations have already expressed interest in
ways to get their youth groups involved.
But what’s really important, Vieder
says, is that the integrity of the congrega-
tional youth groups stays with the con-
Emily Berris, Zoe Brand, Sophia Snyder, Logan
Spagna, Riley Gutman, Abbie Herkovic, Lucy
Aguilar, Mia Rosender, Quinn Canner, Ellie
BenEzra at Spring Convention 2024
OUR COMMUNITY
Rabbi Jen Lader
with YFTI teens
BBYO Regional Convention participants with Jewish professional basketball player Ryan Turell (back row center)
continued from page 12