Anyone who classifies Jewish youth as an apathetic lot has never been to a BBYO International Convention, especially on opening night.
Bedecked in bright colors and dazzling outfits that reflected their home countries—all 52 of them—a throng of Jewish teens shouted and waved hands, flags and banners in an expression of what can only be described as effusiveness (and a bit of relief) to be among others like them.
They filled the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on Thursday night with youthful energy, practically running through the Grand Hall into a massive ballroom. Once there, they filed in to find their seats among the thousands of other participants and guests who attended the opening ceremony of a jam-packed, four-day program, taking place from Feb. 12-16 over the Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day holiday weekend.
In all, a total of 3,400 Jewish teen leaders signed up for International Convention 2026—the “IC,” in the lingo of those in the know. They represent 511 chapters from North America and around the world.
As with all things teen, the festivities began with music: first with a BBYO band and then with members of a troupe from the hit Broadway show “Hamilton.” The performers belted out tunes from the production, including the popular “My Shot” and “The Room Where It Happens,” with most in the crowd standing on their chairs, singing or mouthing the lyrics while swaying to the music. It was akin to the “Hair” of their time.
It was a hard act to follow. But Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro gave it the old high school try.
First, he gave a shout-out to liberty and to Philadelphia; the theme of this year’s conference is “We the Future.”
“It’s so good to see you here,” he belted out from the stage. “I want to welcome you to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
He started by stating that 250 years ago, “just down the street,” patriots living in what is now the United States declared independence from a king in England. But, he said, “they left the work incomplete. They left the job to the next generation. They left the job to you.”
Because, he emphasized, “you are the future, and you are the power to shape it. And don’t wait. The future is right now. Do not look for others to do the work. This is not an opportunity. This is your responsibility.”
The crowd cheered, many of them understanding the reference to their religion and their work as youth ambassadors of Judaism and Israel.
“It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect [or desist from] it,” can be found in Pirkei Avot, “Ethics of the Fathers,” and is often used as a rallying cry to go out and get things done.
The governor, who attended day school in the Philadelphia suburbs and now-famously asked his wife to marry him in Jerusalem, told the crowd that “I lean on my faith, and I am proud of my faith, just like all of you.”
That got even more applause.
“Go back to your communities and make a difference … go home and act in ways big and small,” he said, telling the teens to wear their Stars of David and to confront bullies with an effort to change their minds, stressing that they, as strong Jews, are not victims.
Upon the conclusion of his address, he was presented with BBYO’s “Stand UP Gemilut Chasadim Award” by two student emcees: Daniel Goldstein, a senior who attends the same day school Shapiro did, and his niece, Vered Shapiro.
‘Refusing to be intimidated’
Next on stage were Jonathan Greenblatt, national director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, and his wife, Marjan Keypour Greenblatt, an Iranian Jewish political refugee who is the founder and director of the nonprofit Alliance for Rights of All Minorities, or ARAM.
They were introduced to the stage by one of their three children, who currently holds a leadership position in BBYO.
Greenblatt also encouraged the teens to exhibit their Jewish identity publicly by wearing their chai necklaces and BBYO T-shirts. “You guys,” he said (speaking Philly-ese), “are what courage looks like.”
But it was his wife who went on to expound upon the idea of courage and its realities, as she explained what was happening on the far side of the Middle East. She related that she was smuggled out of Tehran, where she was born and raised, at the age of 7, and wound up settling in Los Angeles. A once-carefree early childhood changed dramatically after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, after which she had to cover her hair, and suddenly, watch what she said and did.
Now, she is advocating for the plight of Iranian protesters who are attempting to break the yoke of their regime—“the world’s largest state sponsor of terror, antisemitism and extremism.”
She told the crowd that the Hamas-led terrorist attacks, atrocities and kidnappings in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, were “straight out of the Islamic Republic playbook—and their pocketbook.”
Iran, she affirmed, is “a brutal dictatorship that spreads hate and death across the Middle East.”
Many of its civilians have been demonstrating in the streets, on and off, across the country since January, “risking everything to fight for their freedom. But they are paying the price,” Greenblatt said, as military-grade weapons are being used against them.
Reports have estimated a death toll of 35,000 or more, though no one can be certain amid an internet and information shutdown.
She scanned the audience members listening intently and said of the protesters: “They are refusing to be intimidated by people sowing fear—just like you.”
Softening, she ended by saying that she dreams of reconnecting to the Jewish community she left behind, and that maybe one day, BBYO will welcome Jews from Iran at the IC.
‘A platform to be ourselves’
Other countries seem to be well-represented, including South Africa. Second-time convention-goers Josie Goldberg, 17, from Cape Town, and Mia Katzman, 16, from Johannesburg, who go to the same summer camp, said they appreciate an environment where they get to stretch their wings and ask questions with like-minded peers in a safe space.
Katzman, an 11th-grader, said her community “lives in a small bubble of traditional Jews,” and at BBYO, she can meet teens from diverse streams of Judaism. She said that last year, she worked on overcoming an initial nervousness about meeting people, but that this year, she is getting out more, and already, her public-speaking skills have improved.
“I’ve learned how to handle different situations,” she said. Recently at school, she had to deal with the fact that another team refused to play her Jewish school, which she called “blatant antisemitism.”
Goldberg, also in 11th grade, said her chapter is a relatively new one, and she wants to take tools and tips back to her community to serve as a global ambassador. The convention, she said, “gives all of us a platform to be ourselves. It’s a safe environment to explore your Judaism.”
She, too, has a story about antisemitism. At a recent Chanukah festival, protesters arrived to spoil the holiday with their vitriol, and it was eye-opening for her: “It was the first time I had experienced that firsthand.”
She added that “we can’t control what other people do. But what I can do is carry on with my own life and not let them get the better of me.”
Both have been to Israel. Both are looking ahead at ways to develop their Jewish connections after high school.
Katzman said the programs at the convention help envision ideas, as they offer participants the skills and the know-how to be proper leaders: “They have taught me so many life lessons I will use in the future.”
