“Identity identity. Who am I? A BBG. I am one. The only one. There’s so much I can do.” The heartbeat song. Every BBG chant and cheer make us feel more connected and strong.
The B’nai Brith girls are built on a foundation of principles known as the six folds: community service, creativity, Jewish heritage, recreation, sisterhood, and social action.
The one I most value out of the six is sisterhood. Holding hands in a circle, screaming from the top of your lungs, “MY NAME IS HANNAH STOJANOVSKI AND I AM A DAMN PROUD BBG!” is just one of the many ways we show how proud we are to be B’nai Brith Girls. You feel empowered being in a room of such amazing people. Being a BBG means wearing the history of BBYO, carrying forth Anita M. Perlman’s ideals she set many years ago.
I have met so many of my closest friends in BBYO. It’s a community that always supports one another through thick and thin, especially BBG. No matter how long or short I’ve known them, their relentless support is something I will never take for granted. A shoulder to cry on, a much-needed hug, or a good conversation, these aspects are what make BBG so valuable.
“We are B’nai B’rith Girls. Strength and Dignity are our clothing.” We emphasize the values of BBG not only in BBYO, but outside. Doing tzedakah, speaking out when something is wrong, and always doing more than what’s asked: that’s who we are. BBG is a powerful force, a movement, but more than that a sisterhood, bonded together and always being there for one another. There is nothing more special and infinite than the love a B'nai B’rith Girl has for others and the bonds they share with other BBGs. I am so lucky and proud to be able to call myself a B’nai B’rith Girl.
Hannah Stojanovski is a BBG from Peoria, Arizona and she is a competitive dancer.
All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.