What is BBYO?

BBYO is the leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences.

With a network of hundreds of chapters across North America and in 50 countries around the world, BBYO reaches over 80,000 teens annually and serves as the Jewish community’s largest and most valuable platform for delivering fun, meaningful and affordable experiences that inspire a lasting connection to the Jewish people.

BBYO's members are organized in a high school fraternity-sorority-like fashion with the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA) for males and the B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG) for females.

Our programming focuses on being well-rounded, values-driven individuals and includes social events with other AZA and BBG chapters, community service projects, athletic tournaments, Judaic enrichment, and more.

Aleph Zadik Aleph

Our fraternity, AZA, is named with the Hebrew letters Aleph Zadik Aleph and stands for Ahava, fraternal love, Tzedakah, benevolence, and Ahdoot, harmony. These are some of our core values. As brothers, we support each other and our development as leaders and Jewish community members.

Cardinal Principles of AZA

The Cardinal Principles of AZA are 7 core values that have shaped our legislation, priorities, programming, and so much more throughout generations. All members are held to these guiding values in hopes of creating better people and a better world. These principles are:

    • Patriotism - loyalty to our homeland, its laws, and its ethnics
    • Judaism - adherence to our faith and its doctrine
    • Filial Love - love, honor, and respect to parents and elders
    • Charity - to give to worthy causes, be generous and kind regardless of color or race
    • Conduct - to be humble and gentlemen-like
    • Purity - to keep a pure soul, active mind, and healthy body
    • Fraternity - sociability, cooperation, loyalty, and friendship

B'nai B'rith Girls

The BBG sisterhood is BBYO’s sorority and where generations of young Jews have developed their leadership skills, strengthened their Jewish identity, and formed lasting friendships within supportive communities. Among their peers, friends, and with big sisters, BBGs have fun, embrace tradition, and build themselves as Jewish community members and leaders.

Menorah Pledge Principles of BBG

Just as there are the Cardinal Principles of AZA, there are the Menorah Pledge Principles of BBG. These principles are:

    • Community Service - selfless service as a member of the community
    • Philanthropy - offering help to those who need
    • Tradition - devoted to the Jewish traditions
    • Citizenship - allegiance and patriotism toward our beloved country
    • Inter-faith Relations - respecting the many faiths of the world
    • Good Sisterhood - companionship and friendship
    • Jewish Heritage - to understand and honor our Jewish history and culture
    • Prayer for Word Jewry - being grateful for the freedom that we have and hoping and praying for all oppressed Jews to be able to live and practice Judaism freely

For more information, visit BBYO's website at https://bbyo.org/ or the AZA/BBG website at https://azabbg.bbyo.org/about/who-we-are