Thank You, BBYO. Love, the Class of 2019.

June 20, 2019
Jenny Katz

Plano, Texas, United States

Class of 2019

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Thank you.

For many of us in the senior class of 2019, we have been a part of this amazing organization for nearly 5 years. There is so much that our class has accomplished. Most importantly, we are so thankful that we got to experience BBYO and everything that comes with it.

Thank you for being welcoming. From the moment we all found our chapters, our first regional convention or chapter events, we were overwhelmed with spirit, sisterhood, brotherhood, and family. These moments are forever ingrained in our minds and hearts. Many of us never imagined what an impact that this organization would have on us. Timid and shy eighth graders, we slowly embraced every unique tradition that is special to each region and chapter.

Thank you for teaching us. All of us slowly learned the words B’nai B'rith Girls and Aleph Zadik Aleph. We learned each of the board positions, and the acronyms for conventions. We studied the duties of each board and chair position. We read the Red and Blue books slowly and careful to memorize our parts of the Menorah Pledge Principles and Cardinal Principles. Our lives are now guided by these principles, forever and always.

Thank you for giving us connections. We all played Jewish geography as soon as we got to summer programs or International Convention. We made new connections with people from every other region from our older connections. Every conversation and friendship between the Alephs and BBGs creates a web of connections. We may never know what these connections could bring us later in life, but thank you for allowing us to weave these webs of connections.

Thank you for allowing us to be leaders. Someone encourages us to take a chance and run for chapter board. We didn’t know why at the time but did it anyway. The upperclassmen taught us how to make a platform and write a speech. They took a chance on us and our chapter elected us to lead. This small step of encouragement gave so many of us the opportunity to learn and grow as leaders and people.

Thank you for giving us our best friends. Many of us had heard that older members met their best friends in BBYO and created lifelong connections with them. Our senior class is no different. We all have best friends scattered around the country and world. The connections that BBYO has given us is something that is going to stick with us for the rest of our lives.

Thank you for letting us inspire others. We have learned so much that we will pass down to the future generations of AZA and BBG. We learned from the leaders before us and are proud to pass down everything that they gave us to the incoming class of leaders. We had others inspire us and we hope to inspire the ones younger than us.

This organization has given us so much more than many of us could ever hope for. Even though our class might now be far away from where we grew up, BBYO has given us a home that we will take wherever life takes us. Thank you so much BBYO for everything.

Submitted with undying love for:

The International Order of the B’nai B’rith Girls, the Grand Order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph and each and every one of you.

We forever remain,

The Senior Class of 2019
Proud Alumni of the B’nai B’rith Girls and Aleph Zadik Aleph

Jenny Katz is a BBG from North Texas Oklahoma Region who has met her best friends through BBYO.

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.

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