I published my second book this weekend on BBYO.[1] Focussing
on key essays accompanied by several appendices, the book is coming out at an
auspicious time, as this year marks the 95th anniversary of BBYO. In just five years, the
organization will be experiencing its centennial anniversary, which should
hopefully yield an increased interest in the organization's history.
Two key essays anchoring this work focus on the
first five years of AZA, prior to its incorporation within B’nai B’rith, and
one on finding permanent facilities to house BBYO’s leadership programs. I
composed both of these when I was in college in the early-mid-2000s. These two
essays appear with some updates for this edition. A third essay, which I recently posted,
concerns the creation of BBYO’s website (which is something which very few
people know). There are a couple of other essays which do not depend on
research and are my own contributions to BBYO history (including an updated version
of this
essay).
Not to be forgotten are the appendices, two of
which are transcriptions of BBYO memorial plaques, while two further appendices
concern my own involvement with BBYO for credential purposes. However, the appendix
that is the most significant is the listing of the location of every single
BBYO International Convention.[2] I’m not
aware of anywhere else providing a list this comprehensive of BBYO
International Convention locations.
A further boon to future historical research on
BBYO is the bibliography provided. While I have not pored over every single
possible relevant document of BBYO history, this bibliography certainly
provides a great springboard for those looking to delve into such historical
research.
The first time the idea occurred to me to publish a
book of essays of BBYO history was in 2004, having produced a couple of essays
and was considering a third. However, having gotten involved with rabbinical
school that fall, I dropped that third essay, as well as the book idea,
altogether.
However, having
returned in the summers of 2011 and 2012 to serve as a Judaic educator at ILTC
those summers reignited my interest in the organization and the study of its
history. That subsequent winter I decided to reach out to someone who had been
in my region and had created BBYO’s website from the beginning and, thankfully,
he still had some materials from that time, which was eminently helpful in my
crafting a piece on the origin of the website.
While trying to put together a book that summer in
advance of having a third child, I dropped the project, even though I had moved
it along fairly well. Perhaps I got busy with life, work, and family, but I let
it collect virtual dust for years. That is, until this summer, when I realized
that I could get stuck with these files forever never seeing the light of day
and it would be better to finally publish it. So, I did.
Having published it on Amazon, I can go back and
revise or update it as need be, but it’s a great start to providing a helpful
resource for those looking to learn about this organization’s history.
A Youthful Historic Movement: Essays on BBYO
History is available both in
paperback and ebook.
[1] My first
book was published
in 2017.
[2]
Although I have not discovered the locations of the conventions of 1946, 1947,
1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1955 – if you can point me to a resource wherein I
can find the locations of those conventions, I would greatly appreciate it (and
provide you with a shout-out in the updated version).
