BBYO’s International Convention in Los Angeles was covered by the LA Jewish Journal!

Click here to read the article!

We’ve had an absolutely phenomenal IC 2011 in Los Angeles, CA. We hope that you enjoyed staying up to date throughout the weekend with the blog and we look forward to seeing you next year in Atlanta for International Convention 2012!

L’hitraot — see you later!

The IC Team

For Closing Ceremonies at IC 2011, BBYO hosted a Rally for Respect and Inclusion. The rally highlighted several speakers bringing awareness to the issues of bullying. As we all know, with changes in technology, bullying has risen to a whole new level that has never been faced before. BBYO teen leaders proclaimed tonight their hope that no teen will have to face bullying in any BBYO community again.

Here are few short video clips to capture the Rally for Respect and Inclusion:

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Congratulations to the 2011 Spirit Cup Winners: Cotton States BBG!

Congratulations to the 2011 Spirit Gavel Winners: Evergreen AZA!

Dan Appleman has served Central Region West has shaped many lives in his role as BBYO Advisor, mentor and friend. Tonight, BBYO honored him was the Jordan Bittker Unsung Hero Award, which annually honors outstanding advisors for their commitment, dedication and passion. Several of Dan’s chapter members spoke beautifully on his behalf. Congratulations, Dan, and thank you for your hard work!

Tonight at IC, BBYO announced its BBG and AZA Alumni of the Year awards.

BBYO is proud to announce Abigail Michelson Porth as the Anita Perlman Distinguished Alumni of BBG Award Winner. Anita Perlman z”l dedicated her career to developing leadership potential in young Jewish women in order to strengthen the greater Jewish community. The recipient of this award is chosen by BBG members and presented annually to a BBG alumna who embodies the qualities Anita Perlman valued and possessed: sisterhood, tzedakah (charity), loyalty and compassion.

Porth, an alumna from Central Region West, is currently the associate director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.  The JCRC represents more than 70 synagogues and Jewish organizations throughout the Bay Area on matters of public affairs and community relations. Under Porth’s leadership, the JCRC, in partnership with the Jewish Community Federation and the Board of Rabbis of Northern California, launched a major community-wide Year of Civil Discourse Initiative.  The Initiative is designed to elevate the level of Jewish community discourse on controversial matters.  This effort is creating a more inclusive Jewish community where people from across the political spectrum can come together, discuss challenging topics, and inspire and empower one another to foster a stronger, more vibrant, and engaging Jewish community.

Porth also serves as an Officer of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, the San Francisco Foundation’s FAITHS Leadership Group, and on the Advisory Committee of San Francisco CARD, which trains social services that deal with the most vulnerable populations to prepare for emergencies and natural disasters.

Married to a former Grand Aleph Godol, Jason Porth, whom she met as a teen at BBYO’s International Convention in Starlight, Pennsylvania, Porth is extremely appreciative of all of the opportunities BBYO has provided her throughout her life.


Watch her disucss how BBYO impacted her life here:

BBYO is also proud to announce Dr. Steven Windmueller as the Sam Beber Distinguished Alumnus of AZA Award Winner. Sam Beber z”l recognized the importance of developing leadership potential in young Jewish men in order to strengthen the Jewish community as a whole. The Sam Beber Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient is chosen by AZA members and presented annually to an AZA alumnus who embodies the qualities Sam Beber valued and possessed: fraternity, charity, honor, and loyalty.

Serving as Dean of the Los Angeles campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Windmueller has held a number of prominent positions within the Jewish community over the course of a thirty year professional career. Prior to coming to HUC, he served for ten years as the Executive Director of the Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. Dr. Windmueller had previously served for twelve years as a federation director in upstate New York.

Windmueller is a past AZA regional president in Pennsylvania and explicitly said that he attributes so much of his professional accomplishments to skills he learned in AZA.

Watch Steven Windmueller accept his award here:

Congratulations to both winners!

We’re bringing election results to you live today from BBYO’s International Convention in Los Angeles. Keep checking back throughout the day.

Congratulations to:

Samantha Levinson, Northern Region East – NOVA Council – 67th International N’siah

Oz  Fishman, Central Region West – 87th Grand Aleph Godol

Allie Michel, Eastern Region – North Carolina Council – 67th International S’ganit

Logan Miller, Big Apple Region – 87th Grand Aleph S’gan

Lindsey Duboff, South Jersey – 20th International Aym Ha Chaverot

Grant Fineman, Central Region West – 20th Grand Aleph Moreh

Talia Katz, Northern Region East – DC Council – 67th International Mazkirah

Alex Metzman, Cotton States Region – 87th Grand Aleph Mazkir

Allison Van Wye, Northern Region East – DC Council – 23rd International Sh’licha

Jake Sorrels, Northern Region East – DC Council  – 22nd Grand Aleph Shaliach

Arielle Braude, South Jersey Region – 67th International Madricha

Jeremy Sherman, Michigan Region – 87th Grand Aleph Kohane Godol

PLEASE NOTE: Due to inappropriate language and inaccurate reporting of election results, we have had to remove the comment feature of this article.

Greetings from IC!  I am Judith Finer Freedman, Vice Chair of the BBYO
Board and International Chair of the Friends and Alumni Network
(FAN).  I am going to sleep very well after this convention not
because I need the sleep (I do as I can’t keep up with 750 dynamic
Jewish teens) but more because I feel the Jewish future is in good
hands when I look around the room at these teens from all over North
America and six International communities including Serbia, Bulgaria, Ireland, England, Argentina and Israel.

As a BBYO alum, I see the promise and excitement in the teens’ eyes as
they head to workshops, sing their region songs or check other the
other AZA’s and BBG’s around them!  I see the same beautiful young
Jewish hearts looking to find their voice in their own community and
the world around them— just as my peers and I were searching for in
1975 when I attended my first International convention.

Here are some highlights I would like to share:

I was particularly moved when the Grand Aleph Godol from 1948-49
addressed the teens on Shabbat.  He had brought a copy of a letter
that he had sent to the national BBYO office asking permission for the
teens to make the new state of Israel their priority to support and
raise awareness for in the upcoming term.  The teens were silent as
they listened to him taking them back to a time in history they had
only heard about.  He gave the teens an inspiring call to action to
keep up their good work. Our teens responded by providing this live
representation of BBYO history with several heart-warming standing
ovations.

Our teens also had the opportunity to hear Daniel Pearl’s father speak
about the unthinkable tragedy that became his son.  He gave a very
moving account of what had occurred and how all of us as Jews can make
sense of it and go forward to perpetuate our people.  There was not a
sound in the room as he spoke.

I also attended an afternoon shabbat break-out session featuring Carin
Davis, author of “Life, Love & Lox: Real World Advice for the Modern
Jewish Girl.”  She spoke the teen’s language and read excerpts from
her book that related to participating in causes where you will find
other people to connect with who share similar values, discussing the
trials and tribulations of dating, and understanding how to balance
social and community commitments.  The girls were 100% engaged!

This morning as I was walking down the hall where the AZA elections
are taking place, I saw the candidates for Grand Aleph Godol pacing in
the hall waiting to take their turn to speak.  While as a Jewish
mother, I want them all to win, no matter what the outcome of the
election, these teens are already winners for themselves, for their
community and for all of us who love and support BBYO.  The future is
bright.  Let’s all do our part to keep BBYO thriving for generations
to come!

Regards from Sunny LA,

Judith Finer Freedman

Special clip of BBYO’s 2011 Seniors during their last Havdallah Song Session at IC:

Havdallah is always an important time at any BBYO Convention. Havdallah marks the end of Shabbat and the beginning of a new week.  Shavuah tov! (Have a good week!)

Here are some clips from the Senior Havdallah and Song Session at IC 2011:

Looking for a Real Israel Experience? Check out BBYO’s Passport to the World at www.passport2theworld.org!

Orrin Kabaker, Grand Aleph Godol from 1949, speaks on passing an AZA motion recognizing the State of Israel before the official U.N. Resolution in 1948.

by Andrew Greenberg, North Florida Region

Shabbat at International Convention 2011 was a truly unique experience! On Friday night, the IC body participated in a program before dinner that set the atmosphere for Shabbat. Later, various Kabbalat Shabbat services took place, including a Harry Potter, AZA, BBG, and traditional service. Teens were engaged and excited to experience Shabbat with almost 750 of their closest friends. To end the night, Rebecca Ungerman made her traditional visit to Convention, leading a song session. The sight of hundreds of Jewish teens from around the world dancing and singing was great to end the night.

Saturday began with options of a Lion King, AZA, BBG, and traditional service. Though teens were spread out across all the four service choices, all were part of the unique pluralistic environment that BBYO offers. After services, the IC body experienced a Speak Up! program that explained AZA’s involvement in the establishment of the Jewish homeland. After the Speak Up! program, teens were separated into different groups to learn about BBYO’s international delegations from 8 countries.

The assortment of 34 Shabbat Electives gave teens the chance to experience everything from creative writing to Judaic involvement in college to leadership tactics and skills. Some of the  Shabbat electives we got to choose from included:

• The Arab-Israeli Conflict through music
• Jewish Life on Campus with Jewish fraternities and sororities and Hillel
• What does it mean to be a Zionist?
• Dating 101: Jewish Style
• What kind of leader do you want to be?
• Israeli Dancing
• A BBYO Day at Hogwarts
• Being Jewish around the world

Havdallah ended around 8 as the body was separated into different age groups to participate in creative and dynamic services planned by BBYO’s teen leaders.

Overall, it was clear that a lot of planning went into making Shabbat as meaningful as it was.

Below are some videos from these exciting Shabbat activities:

Judea Pearl’s Father

Part 1:

Part 2:

Former GAG who sponsored motion to recognize State of Israel in February 1948:

Shabbat Shalom from IC 2011! We’ll be signing off the blog for Shabbat as we take the day to relax and rejuvenate. Don’t worry, we wanted to share a little tease of what will be going on over the next 25 hours here at IC! Below is a video message from the Staff Coordinator for Shabbat, Jill Pottel. Below that, our three song leaders rehearse for our Shabbat song session! Hope you enjoy the behind-the-scenes footage!

Also, all of the teen participants are receiving group texts. Here is the language:

“Shabbat Shalom IC! UR invited 4 candlelighting @ international ballroom @ 5:21. We invite you 2 unplug 4 Shabbat. leave phones in ur rooms & have a tech rest.”

We wish you and your family a restful Shabbat.

Message from Staff Coordinate for Shabbat, Jill Pottel:

Behind-the-Scenes Songleader Rehearsal:

One of the most important parts of BBYO’s International Convention is the amazing democracy that goes into electing BBYO’s International Boards. The elected 10 teens will serve at the helm of the organization for the 2011 – 2012 school year. This year, we want to open up the process as much as possible by asking people who are not at IC to SUBMIT QUESTIONS TO THE CANDIDATES. We will be reading out questions to the candidates live from the IC Blog, Twitter and Facebook. Now, you can get involved in the process!

Click the comment button below to ask questions. Please leave the name of the position that you would like the question asked for — not specific people. You cannot ask questions of specific people, but rather you should ask by position name.

Before submitting questions, please review the attached vision statements:

BBG 2011 – 2012 I-Board Candidate Vision Statements

AZA 2011 – 2012 I-Board Candidate Vision Statements

Good luck to everyone and please don’t forget to submit your questions!

It has become tradition at BBYO International Convention to spend Friday doing a Day of Service and Advocacy. This year, participants are serving more than 10 sites in Los Angeles.

This is the video that set the tone for the day:

Click here to watch the Day of Service and Advocacy Kick-Off Address

Here are some teen accounts of service sites visited:

Andrew Greenberg, North Florida Region: Attended Los Angeles Youth Network

Today, myself and nearly 40 teens traveled to the residential area of Hollywood, California to a homeless shelter. We all were given paint brushes and had the opportunity the repaint the rooms of teens currently living in the house. All of us painted with colors chosen by the residents, and we had a lot of fun together to help out for a good cause. On the ride home, we all had a debriefing session and learned the importance of advocacy.

Brittany Ritell, Connecticut Valley Region: Attended Tree People

I joined with three buses of BBYO members that were headed out into the city of L.A. to complete community service with an organization called Tree People. When we arrived, the site coordinator told us about how the organization was started by an impassioned 15 year old who wanted to make a difference in his community.  He noticed that many of the trees were dying and decided to make a difference. This organization was started 40 years ago and today we continued its work by helping set mulch around the new trees that were planted, as well as working with the soil around the old ones. This environmental service project was a great chance to have fun with friends, get to spend some time outside, and help the Los Angeles community.

Michaela Gilmer, Evergreen Region: Attended National Council for Jewish Women

When I arrived at the National Council for Jewish Women Center in L.A., California, I had no idea of what to expect.  We sat down and were taught about the seriousness of Human Trafficking. We had the opportunity of being spoken to by a victim of sexual human trafficking. A woman named Mariah shared her story with us about how she was tricked into human trafficking at age 15. Mariah spent five years in human trafficking where she was abused physically and emotionally, and was in prison for 23 years for false accusing.  Today, Mariah continues to tell her story and raise awareness about human trafficking. We also watched a short movie “Svetlana’s Journey,” a film about a young Bulgarian girl who was tricked into human trafficking. The film was intense and very sad, but most of all, it was powerful. Before today, I had no idea of what human trafficking was. I walked away with so much knowledge and awareness of what human trafficking actually meant to our society and world. This has forever changed my views on prostitution and laboring. I know when I return home from IC, I will research ways to help raise awareness about human trafficking in my community.

Jaimie Maxwell, Kentucky Indiana Ohio: Attended JDC Shalom

Today I went to JDC Shalom to help plant and paint plaques for the different types of trees that they have there. It was a really cool experience to get to be a part of a group that does so much to help the environment. It was amazing to see how much this group does to help the environment and it was so much fun to help them.

Nate Strauss, Michigan Region: Attended National Council for Jewish Women

Today at International Convention 2011, was Day of Service. With my hotel wake up call at 6:45, I was overall nervous for how this day would turn out. After breakfast we gathered with our groups, boarded our school buses, and headed off to our service sites. I was placed at the National Council for Jewish Women: Los Angeles. The focus of our session was highlighting Human Trafficking. Now I had absolutely no clue what that term meant, but after the opening speech by some NCJW staff, I could define this confusing term. We listened to speeches by victims of Human Trafficking and watched a movie that accurately portrayed some the life of a vicitim of Human Trafficking. After the movie the director and writer of the film, Danny, spoke to us. As an actor in the LA community, Danny decided to    take this scary cause under his wing. He talked with us about ways to end Human Trafficking and ways of spotting potential victims. Overall, this day taught me so much about a very new issue to me. Although I didn’t initially want to attend this specific program, I am incredibly happy I was selected to go there.