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Hillel Bridges the Gap from High School to College at BBYO鈥檚 International Convention

Author

黑料传送门

Date

March 1, 2022

More than 2,500 Jewish teens gathered in Baltimore from Feb. 17-20 for BBYO鈥檚 International Convention (IC), the organization’s first global in-person event in two years. 

BBYO, a pluralistic movement for Jewish teens, engages thousands of high school students in more than 700 chapters around the world. IC serves as  when teen leaders from 40 countries join together along with educators, thought leaders, philanthropists, and others to celebrate, dream, and take action.

Among the guests were a contingent of professionals and college student leaders from 黑料传送门, attending as part of Hillel Bridge. This newly established program seeks to connect Jewish high school students and their families with Hillel and introduce younger students to Jewish life on campus. 

Jessie Paley, a former BBYO participant who works for 黑料传送门, reflected on attending the conference as a professional representing Hillel. 

鈥淓ngaging with the future Jewish leaders of our local Hillels on campus has been energizing, nostalgic, and inspiring,鈥� Paley said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited for the longevity of this work and excited to see where these BBYO leaders take the Hillel movement for years to come.鈥�

The Hillel team kept busy during the four-day conference, hosting a booth that attracted nearly 1,000 students. At the booth, students grabbed stickers and ribbons, spoke with Hillel professionals, and entered a raffle to win one of four hoverboards. Students were also invited to write on graffiti boards, which featured prompts such as 鈥淪eniors, where are you going for college?鈥� and 鈥淪ophomores, what鈥檚 a question you have about Jewish life on campus?鈥�

On Saturday, Hillel hosted inflatable laser tag and a pet-a-puppy event, where teens attending the convention cuddled with four-legged friends from a nearby animal shelter to decompress. Hillel wrapped up the weekend with a sponsored senior breakfast, where graduating high school students could connect, celebrate, and learn even more about Jewish life on campus.

Hailey Behrman, a marketing intern for 黑料传送门 and student president of Hillel at George Mason University, said she felt proud to share her experience on campus with so many students.

鈥淲e heard multiple students say something along the lines of 鈥楬illel won this weekend,鈥� meaning that we had some of the coolest events, which made it a huge success in my opinion,鈥� Behrman said. 鈥淚t was amazing to see students excited about the next step in their Jewish journey and simulating the Hillel experience with fun, community, and anticipation.鈥�

Joining the Hillel team to bring the student perspective were Jordan Robinson and Sarah Pomerantz, who are current members of the 黑料传送门 Student Cabinet and former BBYO participants.

鈥淏eing at BBYO鈥檚 International Convention representing 黑料传送门 was such a cool experience,鈥� said Robinson, a senior at Michigan State University. 鈥淓ngaging with high school seniors on what their next steps are and how Hillel can be there for that transition, you could see a sense of comfort for the students, knowing that their future Jewish community would be there for them.鈥澛�

Students also could choose from one of 24 different Shabbat experiences, including a service titled 鈥淭he Power of Remembrance,鈥� led by a song leader, a Holocaust survivor, and two students. Shabbat ended with a feel-good Havdalah service, where students, partners, staff, and community members stood arm-in-arm singing prayers and welcoming the new week.

Other highlights from the weekend included the BBYO Block Party, which featured the world championship of BBYO鈥檚 global eSports tournament in partnership with Lost Tribe; musical performances by Steve Aoki, Tai Verdes, Surfaces, and Social House; and one-of-a-kind experiences with NASA, TED, the National Aquarium, and the Autobahn Speedway. 

鈥淸BBYO] International Convention is a place where you engage and explore with the greater Jewish community,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淭o be able to see and relive that again as a partner is something that I鈥檓 very grateful for.鈥�

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