skip to main content
66e08f72994e69291c7ca88e_Aaron Perrotta Kallah Aug 02 - 137

This past school year, after attending CLTC, I became much more internationally involved. For starters, CLTC introduced me to the International Leadership Network (ILN), where my journey with the Shofar started roughly one year ago. From the relationships I formed at CLTC, my network expanded to include Jewish youth from around the world. Throughout the 2023-2024 school year, I kept in contact with my friends from around the Order and continued to make new ones. When I was traveling in Argentina with my family, I met more international BBYO teens who were there participating in the Maccabi games in different sports. I even wrote an article about the solidarity I felt with them after October 7th.

This past year I attended BBYO's 100th anniversary International Convention (IC), where I was on the press corps team. This is where I would share the opportunities I had as a BBYO Insider. After IC, I signed up for another BBYO summer experience, Kallah, which I attended in Pennsylvania this summer. There, I met Jewish teens from diverse communities around the world like Kazakhstan, Latvia, Turkey, Moldova, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Ecuador, France, and so many other countries. Also, this summer I visited Cape Town and South Africa where I attended Shabbat services and spent the day with the BBYO Chapter N'siah there. It was cool being able to discuss our common experiences after October 7th.

I am proud to be a bridge between my chapter and the International Order. Now that I have been in BBYO for nearly four years, I am feeling the magic of BBYO as a whole, which connects me with the Jewish world.

All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.

Explore More Stories

Group of people celebrating on stage
Connection
Top 10 Songs for BBYO Summer 2026

Going on a BBYO Summer Program? Make sure to add these songs to your playlist!

Profile picture of Firstname Lastname
Zelda Stebbins Berthoud, Colorado, United States
Group of people celebrating on stage
Identity
Parshat Korach: Leaders of the Future

Why Korach's challenge to Moses is a reminder to never take your democratic voice for granted.

Profile picture of Firstname Lastname
BBYO Weekly Parsha AZA & BBG
Group of people celebrating on stage
Opinion
How Elections Have Shaped My BBYO Journey

This post discusses how losing an election has shaped my journey within BBYO.

Profile picture of Firstname Lastname
Zelda Stebbins Berthoud, Colorado, United States