BBYO – the new youth movement on the block

Starting a youth movement in the heart of a pandemic may seem strange, but BBYO South Africa was launched in the darkest period of lockdown in 2020.

It was at a time when teens were locked into their small myopic worlds of online learning and friendships within the confines of their home, and the world was shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And though they were unable to be in contact in-person with friends and school peers, they were creating new friendships with other Jewish teens around the corner and all over the world through this new-to-South Africa youth movement.

It was all conceived, however, before lockdown, when then Herzlia teen, Lila Fleischmann, was at a dinner party with family friends from the United States (US) and they suggested that she bring BBYO to South Africa. She didn’t think much of it until lockdown, when suddenly it seemed to make a lot of sense to her.

“We were all stuck in our homes, longing for something new to be involved in,” Fleischmann, 18, recalls. “With that loneliness of COVID-19, we were desperate for connection and to be a part of something outside of ourselves. We were all craving something different, outside of the boundaries we were locked into.”

Fleischmann contacted people at BBYO headquarters in the US in the middle of 2020 to find out more, only to learn that it was an international teen-run organisation that didn’t focus on any particular political or religious aspect of Judaism. It was for all Jewish kids, no matter their choices or allegiances.

She also discovered that the organisation wasn’t focused on an end-of-year camp, but on weekly or bi-weekly events or meetings, which were successfully happening online during lockdown.

“What stood out most for me was how easy it made connecting with people here and around the world, especially during lockdown when it was all virtual. It seemed to be a new way of experiencing leadership. I was excited.”

At the time, BBYO was successfully operating online while other youth movements and communal organisations were trying to figure out a way of operating during lockdown. Fleischmann found that BBYO had an innovative digital platform, BBYO On Demand, where teens could get involved with activities around the world. Its events were on Zoom, and could be accessed via its website.

She did a brief course in BBYO leadership with teens around the world, and was given guidance in starting the movement in South Africa. Word spread fast.

Noah Leibowitz, who was in high school at Yeshiva College at the time, was in an online class when he got a message from a friend at King David who asked if he would be interested in checking out this new organisation. “I liked the idea that teens planned and arranged teen events, so I said yes, and got onto a Zoom call, which turned out to be the one in which they were planning our first event,” Leibowitz says.

“They were speaking about doing a food charity drive. I built up the courage and told them about Yehuda Lazarus and his Fingertips of Africa, and so my involvement with BBYO began.”

Leibowitz soon ran for a board position and became head of Jewish enrichment, and is now regional president with Taya Allardice. “I really like the fact that BBYO is a pluralistic Jewish movement because I’m an openminded person and want to learn lots of things. I love that it’s teen-led and there are no adults calling the shots.”

When Fleischmann first put BBYO out there, there were just a handful of people, which grew when Liebowitz joined to about 30, and it keeps on growing.

“During lockdown, we would schedule mostly virtual events,” Fleischmann says. “We would do things like making food together on Zoom, Shabbos events, mixers. We introduced international events. There were so many things to do and people to get to know.”

At the beginning of 2021, they began hosting in-person events in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and these are still growing. Going ten-pin bowling, to Bounce, a picnic, those involved are constantly trying to find new and interesting ways to meet, have fun, and connect with other Jewish teens.

Though there are strong youth movements in South Africa, BBYO brings something different to the fray, says Fleischmann. You can be a staunch “Bnei Akivanik” and still be a member of BBYO. In fact, this is welcomed.

Leibowitz says he has made many new friends through BBYO, and reconnected with people he hasn’t seen since nursery school. “A big part of BBYO is being able to break out of your shell and get to know people. I see people who wouldn’t speak in public before now comfortable doing that and also doing things they hadn’t thought of before.”

BBYO has in fact existed globally for almost a century and it did have a chapter in South Africa between the 1960s and 1980s, but fizzled out.

Fleischmann, who recently gave up her regional presidency after a two-year run, says, “I was introduced to a world of opportunity through BBYO and given an outlet to channel my passions and explore my interests. I’ve become closer to my Jewish identity and heritage, I’ve gained leadership skills, I’ve learned more about the person I am today, I’ve even made lifelong friends from around the world (some of whom I recently met for the first time in America).

“I was never sure how I could become more involved in the South African Jewish community, but when I found BBYO, I found the way to do it. I now feel more connected to my community than ever.”