14 | AUGUST 1 • 2024 
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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)

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