“We pledge to thee, oh BBG
Our love, our youth, our loyalty …”
The sentiment of this BBG song is true for alumni of both AZA, for boys, and BBG, for girls, the two organizations that together are simply known as BBYO. Those teens pledged their love, their youth and their loyalty to the organizations on the chapter, council, regional and international levels. They got the same and more back — making lifelong friends, gaining leadership experience and spending countless hours after programs at Winsteads or wherever was the favorite hangout of the day.
Songs like this, and others, will be sung Saturday night, June 18, when BBYO alumni ages 21 and up will gather for a BBYO reunion at Pinstripes in Overland Park. Pre-registration is required.
Annie Rifkin, BBYO’s regional director here for the past three years, said no one really knows how many BBYO alumni live in the area, but they do know it’s a large number due to BBYO’s long history here. That’s one reason she believes this reunion is important.
“There’s such a rich history and many people that I meet tell me they credit their success in life to BBYO,” Rifkin said this week.
A little history
Rifkin said there are currently a little more than 200 BBYO members in our community. Globally, BBYO is a movement approaching 20,000 AZA and BBG members in this country, reaching more than 80,000 teens worldwide, across 600 chapters in 34 countries and growing.
The organization that was to become the Aleph Zadik Aleph came together in early 1923. A group of Jewish boys in Omaha, Nebraska, organized a fraternity and named it the “Aleph Zadik Aleph,” using Hebrew letters in the style of Greek fraternities, which often excluded Jews. The group elected Abe Baboir as their first president and chose a local chemist, Nathan Mnookin, to be their first adviser. AZA existed mainly as a local social group until Mnookin moved to Kansas City a few months later, where he founded a second chapter — which is known here simply as AZA 2 and, after an inactive period, is one of two AZA chapters in the city today. The other AZA chapter is Nordaunian and the two BBG chapters are B’not Lev and Saadia.
Today BBYO is much more than a social group. Its mission is to deliver to the post- Bar/Bat Mitzvah audience fun, meaningful and affordable experiences that inspire a lasting connection to the Jewish people.
Making the connection
Rifkin said this event is an important and fun way for BBYOers from all generations “to get together and see each other and celebrate how old BBYO is here.”
“For me, selfishly, this is a wonderful opportunity to remind our alumni of how much BBYO meant to them. This event will show them that even though we are not as big as we once were here, we are still strong and thriving.”
Rifkin believes this event will also show the current generation what an impact BBYO can make. Current members are not invited for the entire evening, but some will be there at times to assist with the program.
“I think it’s going to be so meaningful for the teens to see how big BBYO was and how old it is and how much it has meant to the alumni. Along those lines, it will be great for the alumni to see the teens and spike those old memories,” Rifkin said.
Peter Loftspring, who hails from Houston and has been in Kansas City about 10 years, is chairing the event. He agrees with Rifkin.
“BBYO has made a huge difference in people’s lives. When these teens today see their parents and even grandparents going to this event, it shows them how important the organization was to them and shows them how they will be carrying the torch for the organization, and future leadership in the Jewish community, going forward,” Loftspring said.
Loftspring was very active in AZA in Houston, where he also served as an adviser. He also helped out here on occasion when his 21-year-old son was in BBYO a few years ago. He didn’t live in the area in 2000, when the last big BBYO reunion was held, but he heard how successful it was and he started kicking around the idea of another big alumni event several years ago. A planning committee of about 15 people began preparations for this event in earnest earlier this year. Through Facebook, email blasts and articles in The Chronicle, the committee believes about 2,000 alumni have heard about the event.
The committee hopes to reach out to alumni ranging from 21 to those in their golden years and many of those age groups are represented on the committee.
Ron Davidow, who graduated high school in 1962, hopes to see at least 30 or 40 people from his era at the event, where he can renew friendships and “remember feelings that made our teenage life and memories so meaningful.”
Joan Kort is also looking forward to reconnecting and “reliving those wonderful BBYO years.” She and her husband Arnold Kort were both active members of BBYO, she in the ‘60s, he in the ‘50s.
“As far as I’m concerned that was the greatest time for BBYO, but I’m sure each decade of BBYOers feels the same way,” she said.
BBYO played a pivotal role in the lives of every member of the Kort family. Joan rose through the ranks of B’nai B’rith Women (now Jewish Women International), eventually serving as international president. In AZA Arnold was chapter godol (president), as well council and regional godol and held offices in B’nai B’rith as well. Though busy with adult responsibilities and being parents, they also served as BBYO advisers, Arnold of Hatikvah and Joan of Gan Dafna.
“We’re looking forward to hearing about all of the news of the teens that we advised in their days, which was the ’70s and ’80s. I’m so pleased that people are coming in from out of town. I always say make new friends but keep the old, the new are silver but the BBYO longtime friends are gold,” Joan Kort said.
Building support
Loftspring reiterated that the main reason for the event is for people to have fun and reconnect. It’s a “friendraiser” not a fundraiser. Donations, however, are certainly welcome and supporters have the opportunity to make a donation to BBYO at the time of registration. Alumni are also urged to purchase ads in the memory book that will be given out the night of the party.
“While we are reminding people how much they enjoyed their time in BBYO, we also hope they will begin supporting BBYO now. BBYO needs more scholarship money to send more teens to camps. BBYO could also use more adult advisers,” Loftspring said.
As Davidow points out, supporting the organization now is important.
“Attending this event helps to ensure the continuation of this teenage programming asset to our Jewish community,” he said.
Kort has similar thoughts.
“The BBYO reunion is especially important because it is vital to all of us who learned so much in BBYO that we endow the program. We need to make sure that this program, which provides leadership, Jewish activities and experiences such as going to Israel and leadership training, is strong and vital for our grandchildren,” she said.
“I am so pleased that we had such great turnout for out last reunion, over 1,000 people, and I’m hoping this reunion reinvigorates the commitment of those of us who are alumni so that there can be more chapters and more experiences in the Jewish community for our future BBYOers,” Kort concluded.
Loftspring believes the reunion and the BBYO program in particular is very important to the Jewish community.
“It’s one step in a long road of keeping teens Jewish. Between Bar/Bat Mitzvah and college, there are only a few options to do Jewish things. BBYO is one option. Synagogue youth groups are great, too, and if you increase the quality of programming in one group, in this case BBYO, then the effect is usually everybody raises their game. If we can make one group really strong, we hope that helps the other programs get stronger and we build that sense of community for the teens to stay involved.”
BBYO Reunion June 18
Celebrate BBYO in Kansas City with fellow alumni and their families — ages 21 to 121 — at 8 p.m. at Pinstripes, 13500 Nall Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66223. The evening features Havdalah, walk-downs (where former sweethearts and queens will be presented) and a friendship circle! This reunion is for all ages, chapters and graduating classes.
Cost is $36 per ticket by May 18; $45 after May 18.
Each ticket includes a Memory Book, appetizers, dessert, a drink ticket, bowling, bocce and valet parking.
Pre-registration is required — purchase tickets online at bbyo.org/reunion. Those who don’t do computer registrations or consider themselves technologically challenged may call Stacey Belzer at 913-636-1306 for assistance or questions. Organizers expect several hundred people to attend.
