Press Releases

Oct 18, 2010

BBYO Teens Join Hundreds of Teen Activists in Nation's Capital in Support of Strong U.S.-Israel Relationship

More than 125 teens representing BBYO, the world’s leading pluralistic teen movement, traveled from across the United States to Washington, DC, from October 3-5, to participate in the sixth annual Schusterman Advocacy Institute High School Summit. More than 500 students from 28 states and 131 high schools attended the Israel advocacy and activism seminar.

Sep 28, 2010

BBYO Teens Represent Jewish Voice on Good Morning America

Sep 27, 2010

March of the Living 2011 Registration Now Open

Sep 22, 2010

Four BBYO Alumni Selected as JDC Jewish Service Corp Fellows

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and BBYO, Inc., the world’s leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement, announce the selection of four inaugural fellows to serve in a new overseas service initiative for BBYO alumni, the JDC-BBYO Global Service Fellowship. This fall Ben Becker, Laura Himmelstein, Ariana Neustein and Paulina Zaharieva will join the JDC’s Jewish Service Corps for one year to help communities with their most pressing welfare, Jewish renewal and humanitarian needs while developing teen programming and connections to Jewish life through BBYO’s innovative leadership programming and international network. The JDC-BBYO Global Service Fellowship is receiving initial support from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

Aug 11, 2010

Teens Take Their Advocacy to the Hill to Fight Hunger

Jun 10, 2010

Estee Portnoy Elected Chair of BBYO International Board of Directors

BBYO, Inc. is proud to announce that Estee Portnoy of Bethesda, MD has been elected Chair of BBYO’s International Board of Directors. A sports executive and Jewish philanthropist, Portnoy succeeds Howard Wohl of Mill Neck, NY.

Jun 2, 2010

AHA Release Form - For CLTC 2, 4, & 6 Only

Jun 2, 2010

BBYO Teens Attend White House Jewish Heritage Month Event

When we were elected as International Presidents of BBYO, Inc., never in our wildest dreams did we think we would be invited to the White House. But there we were today, attending the first-ever White House reception marking Jewish Heritage Month. We began to realize how much our role does not exist in a vacuum, and that although we are teens, we, too, are important Jewish leaders.

May 18, 2010

Action Alert: Flooding in Nashville

Apr 28, 2010

PANIM Institute Seminars Bring 600 Teens to Washington, DC

This academic year, more than 600 teens from around the country came to Washington, DC to explore public policy and social activism through a Jewish lens as a part of Panim el Panim (PeP), a program with a 20+ year history that is now a part of the PANIM Institute of BBYO. During a total of eight seminars, high school delegations had the opportunity to meet with over fifty Congressional Offices, including special meetings with civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis (D-IL) and Early Act champion and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

Apr 26, 2010

J-Serve 2010 Makes an Impact on the World

BBYO teens joined nearly 10,000 Jewish teens from across North America, Europe, and Israel for J-Serve, a National Day of Jewish Youth Service on Sunday, April 25.

Apr 26, 2010

BBYO Represents Largest Teen Delegation on March of the Living

Feb 19, 2010

International Convention 2010: Dream Big, Act Bigger

More than a foot of snow couldn’t stop over 750 of the world’s leading Jewish communal thinkers – all 18 years of age or younger –from gathering in Dallas, TX Feb. 11-15 for BBYO’s largest International Convention (IC) in its 85-year history. BBYO has been hosting International Conventions since 1924, setting the course for the upcoming year, determining strategies for strengthening BBYO as a youth-led movement and connecting teens to the Jewish community at large. This was BBYO’s most “international” convention in years, bringing together Jewish teens from North America, Bulgaria, Serbia, France, the United Kingdom, Israel and more.

Feb 17, 2010

New Website Allows Jewish Teens to Customize Shabbat Services Online

For anyone who has spent hours photo copying prayers out of the siddur (Jewish prayer book) and pasting them onto sheets to make custom services for a youth group or camp setting, a new tool has arrived. BBYO, Inc., the world’s leading pluralistic Jewish youth movement, has recently launched Build a Prayer, an online space where Jews of all backgrounds can connect on a deeply personal level with prayer and Shabbat.

Feb 3, 2010

BBYO's 2009 Annual Report

In 2009, BBYO took pride in offering tens of thousands of Jewish families a place where their teens could find joyful Jewish experiences and a reprieve from the stresses so many families faced as a result of the economy. As we celebrate our 85th year, know that BBYO is a greater force than ever in enriching the lives of young people and making the Jewish community more vibrant. Please click to read our 2009 Annual Report.

Jan 26, 2010

BBYO Global Action Alert: Haiti Earthquake Response

BBYO members, alumni, parents, family and friends – We write you with an urgent message regarding the devastation across Haiti following the Caribbean’s worst earthquake in more than 200 years. The basic infrastructure of the country has been shattered. The community is left without schools, hospitals and thousands of homes leaving an estimated 3,000,000 Haitians in need of life essentials like food, shelter and healthcare. The death toll is presumably in the hundreds of thousands, and the need is increasing each day.

Dec 23, 2009

Message from the Executive Director on PANIM programs

As many of you know, BBYO recently became the home for PANIM: The Institute of Jewish Leadership and Values. In bringing on PANIM, it was our expectation that PANIM’s expertise in civics and values programming would provide new opportunities for the Jewish community to engage Jewish teens interested in service, advocacy, philanthropy and grappling with social issues. Last month, I had an opportunity to visit with 80 teens from four Jewish Day Schools - The Abraham Joshua Heschel School (New York, NY), Chicagoland Jewish High School (Deerfield, IL), Herzl/RHMA (Denver, CO) and Milken Community High School (Los Angeles, CA) - participating in the first Panim el Panim seminar of the year. Since 1988, Panim el Panim has been the cornerstone of PANIM programming, welcoming to DC diverse groups of 10th to 12th grade students from around the country. I had been to Panim el Panim seminars in the past and have always been moved by the ways in which teens feel empowered by their newfound understanding of the political process and the Jewish values entwined in one’s commitment to social action after the program.

Dec 16, 2009

BBYO Summer Registration Now Open

Summer 2010 will be a one of a kind experience! With a menu of more than 20 programs designed for all Jewish teens regardless of BBYO membership, BBYO Summer Experiences allows teens to build a dream summer trip to best suit their interests. Teens interested in travel, community service, Judaism, outdoor adventure, college prep or leadership will find a multitude of options to develop leadership skills within a community of Jewish teens who will become lifelong friends.