By Uriel Cohen, Special to JTNews
Being the social creatures we humans are, societal organization is mandatory for our inner workings. We have leaders who work close to home, like mayors, and also ones on greater scales, like governors. We even have supreme dignitaries, like the president, that exercise control over other luminaries.
Following suit with the rest of humanity, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization also adheres to and values a system of power checks that make our daily lives worthwhile and enjoyable. Being a youth-led association, we as members must take it upon ourselves to make BBYO our own: A place that represents the Jewish youth of today.
Boys and girls hold weekly meetings separately at the Stroum Jewish Community Center, the male counterpart being called Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA) and its female counterpart referred to as B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG). Meetings are held gender separate for a variety of reasons. One local youth, Adam Epstein, says the separation is to “provide a safer and friendlier environment for students to express certain beliefs or ideas without the pressure of thinking what a person of another gender thinks of you. Since most of our lives are surrounded by gender inclusion, BBYO enables kids to talk more freely.”
Adam is the president of his chapter and attends the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Many people “find it hard to make friends at a public school, because it tends to be really cliquey,” says Jessica Korotkin, a student at Interlake High School. “When I go to BBYO, I know I am going to a place where there are many girls, just like me, willing to be my friend, and willing to make a sisterly bond with me.”
In the Seattle area, there are three AZA and two BBG chapters. Each individual chapter has a board that includes, but is not limited to, a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and so on. These boards plan out nearly all activities BBYO members wish to take part in, fulfilling the “for the people, by the people” approach BBYO identifies itself with, an approach that makes BBYO unique from other youth groups.
In the spirit of acquainting ourselves with higher leadership, a very important affiliate of BBYO recently visited our area. In late October, Jeremy Sherman, the international president of BBYO, came to the Evergreen region, which includes most of the Northwestern United States as well as parts of Canada.
Originally hailing from Michigan, Jeremy is in the midst of the gap year between high school and college, which is required to fulfill the position of international president. Jeremy spent his time meeting individuals and answering the multitude of questions we threw at him. He also conducted a seminar on Shabbat about how to take leadership in one’s own community. It was very interesting to hear such powerful words from a boy not even two years my elder. After all, he was once a normal member just like the rest of us.
It is not often that a constituent of a large institution is privileged enough to meet the most powerful leader of that establishment. For many members who strive to achieve the political positions Jeremy has held, his tales of personal trials and tribulations are idolized. However, it must be noted that Jeremy does not only “talk the talk.” Before his election, Jeremy “walked the walk” significantly, contributing inspiration, ideas, and logistics for his local chapter. As the leader of roughly 30,000 Jewish teens worldwide, Jeremy still avidly fulfills his role as the number one man for the organization for which he has worked so hard. Yet he does not come across as flamboyant in his actions or headstrong in his manner.
There is much to be learned from one who concentrates not on appearances, but on getting the job done. His inherent qualities, like work ethic and taking initiative, are things all humans can learn from, not just B’nai B’rith Youth.
No government is today without a representative, an individual who carries the hopes and dreams of the body’s members. Fitting, is it not, that a youth group dedicated to the continuity of the Jewish tomorrow is summarized by initiative?
Seventeen-year-old Uriel Cohen is an active member in BBYO as well as several other youth groups. He lives on Mercer Island.