Over the past year, we have had the incredible privilege of serving as your 37th International Sh’lichim. Throughout our term, it has been an absolute honor to watch our movement and our network continue to grow, flourish, and strengthen in so many meaningful ways.

This year, we placed a major emphasis on supporting our counterparts and ensuring that every Shaliach and Sh’licha across the Order felt empowered and prepared to succeed in their roles. Through the establishment of Sh’lichim Hub Huddles, members of the Sh’lichim network had the opportunity to connect directly with one of our three ILN Coordinators of Global Shabbat, Stand UP, and Explore Israel. These huddles allowed counterparts to gain a deeper understanding of movement initiatives while also receiving practical training and support surrounding them.

Additionally, this year we launched #Sh’lichimSundays, a weekly initiative focused on recognizing the incredible work of counterparts while also sharing resources, ideas, and tools to help strengthen chapters and regions. We hope this tradition continues for years to come because recognizing the hard work of counterparts and giving them a platform to share ideas is so important to the success of our movement. We also continued “Almost Shabbos,” which became a fun and interactive way to connect with the International Order. It was amazing watching counterparts embrace it so fully that many even began incorporating it into their own position Instagram accounts.

One of our primary goals this year was to elevate Stand UP and make it a more widely recognized and actively implemented initiative throughout the movement. Through training sessions, 1:1s, and network calls focused on SPACE and effective Stand UP programming, we worked to ensure that counterparts felt confident bringing meaningful causes into their communities. We are incredibly proud to say that every region had a Stand UP cause this year, whether on the chapter or regional level. 

As October 7th approached this year, we encouraged counterparts to host impactful events within their chapters and regions centered around Jewish and Israeli pride, remembrance, and unity. Some attended rallies, while others facilitated meaningful programs within their communities. On the international level, we hosted both a virtual event and two social media campaigns. Our first campaign, No Man Is an Island, reached over 500,000 views and called upon each International Board member to share photos and biographies of hostages still in captivity, emphasizing Jewish unity and remembrance. Our second campaign, 10 Days of Kindness, focused on the Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and encouraged meaningful daily acts within one’s community, averaging 472 views per day.

To further support our counterparts, we updated our “Guide to October 7th Programming” resource to help ensure programs across the movement were meaningful, impactful, and successful. On October 7th itself, we hosted a BBYO On Demand virtual program themed Remembrance Through Rebuilding. With over 70 members in attendance, teens reflected on their communities’ experiences, recited prayers for the safety and security of the people of Israel, and participated in a meaningful discussion led by Noam Dahary, BBYO’s Director of Israel Engagement. This program provided a powerful opportunity for members across the International Order to come together in remembrance and solidarity.

This year, we also placed a major emphasis on strengthening ILNs and elevating movement initiatives. Together with our Global Shabbat Coordinators, we established the theme “Am Echad, Lev Echad: One People, One Heart,” for Global Shabbat 2025, emphasizing unity throughout our global movement. Coordinators hosted multiple one-on-one sessions with counterparts through their hub huddles, helped create and promote the Global Shabbat Cookbook, and developed sample scripts and programming resources for chapters around the world.

Our Stand UP Coordinators worked tirelessly to ensure the success of both Stand UP and J-Serve. Through multiple rounds of 1:1s focused on Stand UP and J-Serve planning, they equipped counterparts with tools and guidance to create impactful programming. They also created the resource “How to Serve this JServe” and established the theme “Together We Serve” for JServe 2026.

Meanwhile, our Explore Israel Coordinators played an instrumental role in promoting and planning both our October 7th virtual event and an impactful virtual program featuring an IDF soldier and a Holocaust survivor who shared their stories and perspectives on current events. They also supported regions in planning Israel National Days programming and helped develop new resources and programs surrounding Israel engagement and education.

A huge thank you to our Global Shabbat Coordinators — David, Nico, Mia, and Noa — our Stand UP Coordinators — Xander, Grayson, Karin, and Diana — and our Explore Israel Coordinators — Lotem, Noah, Seth, David, Sasha, and Jesse — for their endless dedication and support this year in helping strengthen BBYO’s movement initiatives.

We also saw incredible success within our ILN committees this year. One of our proudest accomplishments was helping establish the Elevating Pluralism Committee alongside four incredible coordinators. Committee members were divided into smaller subgroups where they focused on different aspects of pluralism and worked to ensure it was meaningfully incorporated throughout BBYO spaces and experiences. We are so excited to see how this committee will develop next year.

This year also brought HUGE wins for the Rise UP Cohort. We re-established our partnership with the ADL to educate teens on combating antisemitism through a cohort of 90 teens. Our first three sessions were led by ADL staff members and focused on understanding antisemitism and learning effective ways to combat it. Participants then transitioned into group projects centered around the ADL’s pillars of education, creating impactful initiatives designed to address antisemitism within their communities. These projects were presented at the Rise UP Convention in New York City this March. During the convention, we partnered with NYU and local synagogues for Shabbat experiences, participated in meaningful discussions, shared projects, and explored New York City through experiences in places like Ellis Island and SoHo. The convention then led directly into participation in the ADL’s Never Is Now Conference, where BBYO teens attended leadership and antisemitism-focused sessions. The Rise UP Convention truly became one of the highlights of our year as Sh’lichim, and we are beyond excited to watch it continue to grow in the future.

This year, we also broke Kallah records by reaching an incredible 128 registrants, a 73% increase from the previous year’s early bird registration numbers, and officially selling out Kallah 2026. We could not be more excited for an amazing Perlman summer and everything still to come!

Serving as your 37th International Sh’lichim has been nothing short of extraordinary. This year taught us so much, not only about our movement, but also about ourselves. More than anything, we learned the importance of continuing to push forward even when things become difficult, because everything eventually works out the way it is meant to. There were countless moments this year where we felt frustrated, overwhelmed, or worried that something would not come together in time, and we learned that that is okay. Not everything needs to be perfect on the first try. Growth takes time, leadership takes patience, and success comes from perseverance. As you lead your chapters and regions this upcoming year, that is the greatest piece of advice we can leave you with.

BBYO, thank you. Thank you for giving us a home. Thank you for being a place that constantly supports, uplifts, and inspires us. Thank you for trusting us to lead and for allowing us the honor of serving as your International Sh’lichim this year.

Lotem and Naftali, we are so excited to see everything ahead for you both. We know the movement and the Sh’lichim network will continue to thrive under your leadership. Keep up with Adi next year as he serves as your 101st Grand Aleph Godol, and Hailey as she begins her freshman year at UT Austin.

For one last time, thank you, BBYO. We could never fully express how grateful we are for everything this Order has given us.