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August 13, 2004/Av 26 5763, Vol. 55, No. 47
BBYO participation grows
SARAH DELANEY
Editorial Intern
For many, summertime is synonymous with long, fun-filled days at camp. While some choose to attend a regular summer camp and others prefer a more specialized program, the choice is clear for many local members of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization: a BBYO program.
"I'm just so involved in BBYO that that's how I wanted to spend my summer, learning things that I can bring back to BBYO," says Laura Charnof-sky, a junior and regional officer on the BBYO board.
The number of local members who attend the programs keeps growing, according to Jayme David, BBYO regional director. Last year, about seven teens from Phoenix attended BBYO summer programs. This year, the list of participants grew to 21.
Of the various programs offered, five include participants from the local area. The programs are designed with different age groups in mind. "Basically BBYO's programs are multitiered, so you can go from the first level and then the next summer continue on to the next," explains David.
The Chapter Leadership Training Conference (CLTC) "is for the youngest group of kids, mostly freshman and sophomores that will be attending," says David.
"(CLTC) is leadership training, but it's ... based on stuff you can bring back to your chapter and to your region to help you and your chapter," explains Mark Khazanovich, a sophomore and president of the Robert F. Kennedy AZA #1631 chapter. He attended the CLTC program at the University of Judaism in Bel Air, Calif., from July 13-25.
The next program most members choose to attend is typically Kallah, which "is mainly focused on Judaism," explains Felicia Rudolph, a junior and president of the Kiviap BBG chapter. "We did services and we did a ton on Jewish history."
"We went through Judaism lifecycles," she says about one of her experiences at the program. "We had a fake Jewish wedding and people got bar mitzvahed and bat mitzvahed at camp. It was really neat." Rudolph attended the Kallah program at Camp Perlman in Starlight, Penn., from July 5-28 and was a participant at the CLTC program last year.
Another popular program is the International Leadership Training Conference, which Charnofsky plans to attend. "It's going to be a lot of leadership and different programs to enhance your leadership skills and to connect you with Jewish teens," she says.
Kesher L'Yisrael program, or Connection to Israel, focuses on learning more about Israel. David explains, "The first week they spend at the camp, learning about Israel and the political situation, and the second week, they are ... in Washington, D.C., meeting with congress people and the Israeli ambassador."
The final program that local members are participating in is the Israel Discovery program. "It's the basic four-week BBYO summer program in Israel, with traveling and sightseeing," David says.
The experiences at the programs are very enlightening for the kids, enthuses David. "They get to outreach to other members of BBYO from across the country; they're with scholars and leadership scholars."
Khazanovich adds, "It got me more in touch with my Judaism."
Not only are these experiences positive for the kids, but they are also beneficial to the local BBYO. "(Participants) come back and they have such an energy about them; they're enthusiastic, they have so much more knowledge of the program, and they have a lot more ideas," exclaims David.
Helping BBYO is one of the reasons many kids choose to attend these special programs.
"(I want to bring back) just whatever I can, anything to enhance my leadership skills or anything that I can bring back to help Mountain Region (BBYO)," Charnofsky explains.
The experience is "great," in the words of Khazanovich, whose favorite part of his time at CLTC was "meeting all these awesome people that I think will remain friends for a long time."
Rudolph enjoyed the chance to explore her faith. "Just the opportunity to experience other aspects of Judaism that you might not experience at home was really neat."
David also had an "awesome experience" while working at the CLTC program at the University of Judaism. "We had so much fun. ... Seeing the kids and the great experience they were having was awesome," she says.
"Having (the kids) thank me for being there with them, that was so rewarding, knowing I made a difference. ... I have so much energy for what I do now."
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