By Emma de Witt

BBYO, or B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, is a teen-led organization that provides an outlet for friendship for over 25,000 Jewish teens across the world. With over 700 chapters, there are many leadership opportunities and events to go to every week. Every few months, chapters from surrounding states get together to plan a convention. The conventions last about 3-4 days and are packed with activities, events, speakers,and new people to meet each time.

From February 17-21, I attended BBYO’s International Convention that took place with my other friends from my Richmond BBYO chapter as well as our Collegiate members, Livy Brownstein, Alexandra Brownstein, and Sam Feder. The people who went were not just surrounding states from Virginia like usual, but teens from 63 countries came together. In Baltimore, Maryland everyone gathered to reunite, learn new things, and just spend time together. There were about 3,500 of us in two connecting hotel convention centers, The Hilton and Marriott, with the adult advisors from each city chapter attending as well. 

                                                 Photo credit: Jason Dixson Photography

Ahead of the convention, everyone signed up for the events that they would like to attend and be placed in. There were multiple options around Baltimore that everyone could partake in, as well as over 180 speakers and musical performers each night. Some of the speakers included Holocaust survivors, such as Trudy Album and Sami Steigman, who spoke about how their lives were so different then ours during the 1940’s. I listened to Sami’s talk about the tremendous horror he and many others went through, and how he is living today, having survived the Halocaust. 

There were also musical performances by Steve Aoki, Tai Verdes, and the bands Surfaces and Social House. The most popular guest speakers that attended were, Josh Richards, the prime minister of Israel, and broadway singers and stars. As fun as the concerts were and hearing everybody perform, the special guests and guest speakers were the ones that made the most impactful memories. Each one left us with new thoughts and concepts swirling in our heads as we headed out of the stadium.

One of the most memorable speakers was Rabbi Angela Buchdahl on February 20, from the central New York synagogue, as she talked about her life and experiences. She told many stories, but the one that stuck with so many of us was when there was about an anti-Semitic man with a gun, and how he called her while holding kids and adults hostage in Texas. She talked to him on the phone twice for hours at a time, calm and collected, even though she was terrified on the inside. 11 long “standoffish” hours later, she eventually got him to let the hostages go; she was considered a hero. 

Another speaker that stood out was H.E. Naftali Bennett, the Prime Minister of Israel. He talked about the world in a way that high schoolers were able to understand, but not in a condescending tone. He told us stories from his childhood and connected with us on a deeper level, as he stepped away from the government, to address a group of highschoolers on important issues. Overall, there were about 180 speakers, focusing on Jewish culture, and life in Israel vs America. Each person was available throughout the weekend, bringing new stories, perspectives, and ideas for everyone to partake in. 

Throughout the convention, there were numerous activities and events offered. Some of them included havdalah services, normal Friday night religious services, and shabbat. The Shabbat service was the most packed event, as after the dinner and prayers everyone crowded into the concert hall all together, where the guest speakers were waiting, the singers would be performing, and everyone would gather together. Lastly, the most important event was making remembrance letters, and writing letters to the Holocaust survivors that BBYO has connected with from around the world. As a survivor, receiving these letters from young people lets them know that they are appreciated, and we are thinking about them. It was a truly meaningful experience, as we are the last generation that will be able to hear a Holocaust survivor speak and interact with us first-hand. 

         Enjoying the concert        hanging out at the famous tree    being together at shabbat

Photo credit: Emma de Witt       Photo Credit: Emma de Witt    Photo Credit: Emma de Witt

Upon entering the convention, I was immediately immersed in teens and people from literally all over the world. From over 63 countries, people came in to learn the same ideas, to sing the same songs, meet new people, and overall be together. Specifically, me and my friend Livy became close with our roommates, Hannah and Sophie, who were from the other side of the country. I had so many different conversations with teens from so many different countries, including Israel, Ukraine, South Africa, and Spain. There was a slight language barrier when it came to translating certain things that came up in conversations, but overall the main languages that were spoken were English and Hebrew. In the activities throughout the days, there were hundreds of different groups being toured around, and my friends and I met so many new people.The most fascinating concept was that even though the thousands of people that were gathered spoke many different languages, at the end of the day, we would all come together and sing the same songs for shabbat, and bond together over the safe knowledge that everyone in that room had something special in common with one another. 

BBYO’s international convention was such a meaningful experience and opportunity to meet so many different people, try new things, and overall join together in the Jewish experience that BBYO offers.