Palo Alto BBYO chapters struggling to start

Gearing up for their launch in the birthplace of start-ups, two new chapters of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization are in the works in Palo Alto.

The two chapters — one for girls, one for boys — expect to be fully up and running in the fall.

The Jewish youth organization for 13- to 18-year-olds is already prominent in the South Bay — with chapters in Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Saratoga and San Jose — but has had little presence in the Palo Alto area until efforts began during the last school year.

BBG, the girls' division of BBYO, started a Palo Alto chapter last fall and has had three events and seven members sign up. AZA, the boys' division, has not yet had events, but board members say several boys are interested in joining. Both of the start-up chapters are still looking for adult advisers.

BBYO provides programs in leadership, community service and Jewish education, as well as social and other activities. On Sunday, July 17, for example, several BBYO members from the Palo Alto area will join regional members as participants in an area AIDS walk in San Francisco. BBYO turnout is expected to reach or exceed last year's, when 60 members raised $1,104.

Unlike some other Jewish youth groups, BBYO is youth-led, meaning that programs are planned by teens, with guidance from adult advisers.

The worldwide organization has activities on the national, regional and local chapter level. Palo Alto area members currently have to drive to other cities to participate in other chapters' activities.

In a city with such a strong Jewish population, some organizers find the slow start surprising.

Amy Ackerman, 16, of Palo Alto, serves as membership coordinator and is in charge of Jewish heritage, social action and community service for her new BBG chapter. Ackerman said turnout was disappointingly low for events she had planned with Ellen Holtzman, the chapter president, but she is confident membership will grow over the next school year.

"There're so many Jews in Palo Alto, and I just feel bad for anybody who doesn't get to experience BBYO in their life," Ackerman said.

Rachel Kirk, 17, of San Jose, agreed. Kirk, president of the Central West region, made establishing the Palo Alto chapter one of her priorities.

"It would make sense for them to have their own chapter, and I've been really active in my chapter and on the regional level, so I know how important it is to have something you can go to in your area every week," she said.

One of the challenges in recruiting new members is that many local teens are already involved with youth groups such as United Synagogue Youth or the North American Federation For Temple Youth, which are affiliated with local temples. That makes it difficult to obtain contacts for prospective BBYO members, Ackerman said.

Ackerman prefers BBYO because it is planned and organized by teens rather than adults, which gives her a feeling of accomplishment.

Also, planning events like Shabbat dinners and participating in religious programs helped her get in touch with her Jewish identity, which she had never done before, she said.

"I was someone who hated being Jewish for the first 14 years of my life," she said, adding that she had not wanted a bat mitzvah and had thought about converting to Christianity.

BBYO "basically gives you this opportunity where you can have a blast, a really good, fun time, but you also feel like you're doing something good," she said, referring to events like the AIDS walk.

Aaron Steinbaum, 16, of Los Altos, said he was similarly compelled to found a new chapter, though starting it has been slow (he has recently had to concentrate on school and spend less time making phone calls to recruit members).

He too will participate in the AIDS walk, something he probably would not have done, he said, if not for AZA.

"Knowing that I can go make a difference and have fun with my friends, it makes a big difference, it makes it a lot more appealing to do."

Steinbaum said being active in AZA revived his interest in Judaism at a time when he had few Jewish friends. A friend in AZA had asked him to join and he had resisted, finally agreeing to attend only one event.

"I came and fell in love with it," he said. "It's a brotherhood that I've never felt before and it really is unconditional friendship with other Jews that are immediately going to accept you for who you are."

Steinbaum said he wanted everybody to have the opportunity to experience AZA and the leadership qualities it has helped him attain. But he added that distance was an obstacle; the events he attended were through the Cupertino-area chapter, a 15 to 20 minute drive in each direction.

"I know there's hundreds of Jewish boys in my area. I just have to get a hold of them and get them into the chapter," he said. "It's going to start small but hopefully this can be a good thing and we can get some parents to make their children go if their children don't go willingly."




To learn more about Palo Alto BBYO chapters, contact Amy Ackerman at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or Aaron Steinbaum at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).