In September 2025, my soon-to-be best friend texted me, “please join BBYO and help me restart the Yachad BBG.” I’d heard amazing things, so without a second thought, I texted back, “yes!”. I was excited to try something new and make new friends. When I arrived at Yachad’s first Kickoff event, I didn’t know what to expect, but I soon joyfully signed up to become a permanent member.  

My love for BBYO and Yachad grew exponentially with each event I attended, member I spoke with, and  leadership skill I learned. In the second semester, I ran to become a part of my BBYO chapter’s board; before that, it was one girl doing it all…and that wasn’t fair. In January, I became S’ganit of my chapter! After I was elected, I took my role seriously by planned the most thrilling events possible and promoting by texting as many Jewish teens in my area as I could. I soon realized how hard it is to find a chapter…and even more so to keep it thriving.

My N’siah, Talia Weinshank, had received an invitation to Chapter Founders Summit in Dallas, Texas. This special convention was for Americans who started their own BBYO chapter. She texted our board, and not everyone could make it, but I attended with our Gizborit, Nola Berg. We packed, headed to Dallas, and didn't know what to expect.

The Chapters Founders’ Summit featured many important activities. They were educational but exciting at the same time. We heard what Ian Kandel had to say about recruitment and listened to Jordan Bernstein and Romi Avidor talk about how we could tell if our program is “Chopped.” We talked to Ruthie Perlman, a BBYO alumna, during lunch about her own high school BBYO experience. Sasha Pisarevsky, Gayla Levenstein, and Zelda Stebbins helped us celebrate Shabbat with song and dances, showing us the classic BBYO way to celebrate Shabbat, especially with an enthusiastic crowd. Gil Juran and Aylah Seigal did an outstanding job stirring the program and making sure we were always smiling. All of these exceptional leaders contributed to helping Yachad BBG improve as a whole and ensure our future success.

Along with all the education and fun, I gained friends from all over America. It might’ve taken me the whole weekend to learn everyone’s name, but I feel like I have 70 new friends. I've learned new exciting games with these friends. I'm so excited to teach my region, NSR, what I learned at the summit, and bring along  the endless laughter…and I do mean endless laughter.

Assisting in restarting Yachad BBG with my board has taught me so many valuable life lessons, and I would’ve never learned them without BBYO. Restarting a chapter is difficult, but it is worth it to push through for the best result. I can't wait to eventually double our chapter’s membership, and hopefully, at some point, it will become the biggest chapter in NSR.

Back in New York, I’m looking forward to sharing everything I learned with my board at our next meeting. I’ve been telling the jokes I told at the summit to my friends, but no one gets them, and I wish I could go back.

Thank you, BBYO, for helping shape the person I am today.