More than 3,000 teenagers from 40 countries converged on the Baltimore area last weekend to attend a BBYO convention in what is believed to be the largest in-person Jewish gathering since the beginning of the pandemic.
A release from BBYO — an international Jewish teen movement headquartered in Washington, D.C., that promotes Jewish identity, fellowship and leadership development skills — said its annual international gathering from Feb. 17-21 at the Baltimore Convention Center focused on philanthropy and Jewish education.
The theme of this year’s convention was “The Power of Us.”
“This event is truly about celebrating the power of being together. There is simply no other segment in society that can match the enthusiasm, optimism and courage of this generation to build a better world for all of us,” said Matthew Grossman, chief executive officer of BBYO. “IC is a place where people, ideas, opinions, and creativity come together, where diversity is celebrated, and the future defined.”
Speakers at the convention in Charm City included Mike Posner, a Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter; Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of New York’s Central Synagogue, who fielded calls from the hostage-taker in last month’s assault on a Texas synagogue; A. J. Dillon, the Green Bay Packers running back, and Zach Banner, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive tackle; Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner who is running for governor; and Jurney Smollett, an Emmy-nominated actress.
Strict COVID protections, including proof of vaccination, testing and masking, were in place throughout the convention.
This year’s event also showcased the diversity of the BBYO community, with nearly 400 global delegates attending for the first time from South Africa, Sydney, Australia, Morocco and Romania. In addition, groups of more than 50 delegates each from Germany, Spain, and Argentina attended this year.
As is customary at the conference, delegates rallied around a local organization to collect donations for those in need. This year, they donated school supplies, fidget toys and health products to the St. Francis Neighborhood Center, Baltimore’s oldest youth enrichment center whose mission is to end generational poverty.
In addition, BBYO announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, a signature program of JCC Association of North America that serves the religious needs of Jewish military personnel, their families and patients in VA hospitals.
JWB and BBYO have joined to provide all active U.S. military and diplomatic corps families around the world free membership to BBYO for their teens, as well as discounts and special offers to attend events, participate in conventions and partake in BBYO summer leadership and travel programs.
To view select sessions from the convention on Facebook Live and YouTube, visit BBYO’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Ron Kampeas writes for the JTA global Jewish news source. Jmore staff contributed to this report.
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