Last weekend’s B’nai B’rith Youth Organization reunion featured several repeat refrains: “It was my life,” attendees said again and again. “It made me who I am today.”
The idea that alumni traveled to the Bay Area reunion from as far away as Israel, Portland, Ore., and Phoenix speaks to the abiding influence BBYO had on its members.
Many say they not only met lifelong friends or spouses during their BBYO years — the organization also instilled in them solid and lasting leadership skills, and an abiding connection to Judaism.
But despite its many benefits, the organization is not nearly as active or widespread as it used to be. While Bay Area membership numbered some 1,000 in 1970, today that figure has dropped to 376.
Leaders in the organization cite two main reasons for the decline: These days, young people have a panoply of extracurricular activities from which to choose, and funding from B’nai B’rith, BBYO’s parent organization, has dipped as that organization has suffered its own membership losses.
In addition, since much of the organization is now centered on the Peninsula — where there are seven active chapters — Bay Area geography makes membership development difficult.
BBYO leaders and members are trying to attract newcomers by touting the organization’s activities. Those include dances, Shabbat programs and conventions, as well as a variety of volunteer opportunities.
Those leaders and members firmly believe the organization is just as timely and relevant to youths’ lives as it was two decades ago.
We agree. Building a sense of Jewish community in the young, after all, is a timeless concept.
In that spirit, why not tell your friends or your children to check BBYO out?
Going to a meeting doesn’t take much effort. Maybe it won’t amount to anything. On the other hand, it could lead to a lifetime of friendships and memories.