AZA and BBG, y’all know the drill! I’m back with another #KeepingPace, and this time it’s October! It’s spooky how short and long this month felt. With that being said, it’s been a cool one and I’m excited to get into it with you:

It’s back! My #KeepingPace Table of Contents:

• Hey!
• New England Region
• Central Region West
• Mountain Region: Las Vegas
• Home
• Great Midwest Region
• Board of Directors
• Takehomes

Lovely, let’s begin! Hello there! Where did we leave off? Oh yes! I was spending my last few days in Israel after being there for the High Holidays. After a wild week at home, I headed over to New England Region for a fun-filled few days. Kickoff was a neon-themed boat party and it was awesome! From everyone’s outfits to the decor and the views from the boat, the night was well worth getting home very late. During the days after kickoff, I got to hang with some of Regional and chapter board members in Newton, MA as well as more teens in Natick, MA. It was so fun getting to meet and hang out with everyone in a smaller setting! Then since it was my first time in Boston, Lulu (NER’s N’siah) and I headed to the city to celebrate Jack’s (Grand Aleph S’gan) birthday and explore! It was super fun and I had a deeeeelicious cannoli – I still miss it tbh. Later, Lulu and I went to explore Salem, MA which was so eerie and a special experience as all of the October Halloween festivities started up. My visit was full of meeting really cool people; I even got to see some of my BBYO Alumni friends at Tufts University! Alas, I had to part ways with NER and continue my adventures.

Next, I woke up verryyyy early to take a flight across the United States. I landed in San Francisco and headed to Central Region West to hang out with chapters for the next few days. On my first day in the West Coast, Noga (CRW’s N’siah), Negev (CRW’s Godol), and I headed to Oakland, CA where we attended Oakland BBG and Dreidel AZA’s weekly business meetings. Being able to sit in on their traditions and talk to so many awesome (and stylish) people was really special for me. The rest of my CRW visit consisted of exploring San Francisco, losing my voice, Regional board sushi dinner (yum), trying hot boba tea for the first time (it’s a game changer), and joining in on a Kallah steering meeting! After a crazy but really incredible few days, I had to say see you later to all the friends I’d made and, most importantly, to Leo (Noga’s dog).

Luckily, with every “see you later” is another “hey” (and usually another dog too)! The next stretch of my journey would take place in Mountain Region: Las Vegas where I got to hang out with Courtney (International Mazkirah) and her dog Niko. While in Las Vegas I got to do a ton – from meeting with BBYO alumni, to getting breakfast with the president of Jewish Nevada, to a coffee meeting with Mark Naparstek (a past Grand Aleph Godol). Not to mention celebrating Las Vegas’s 11 teens headed to IC and making tote bags with Gorbena BBG! My time on this visit was very well spent and an insane amount of fun…considering Courtney and I went to a last-minute Katy Perry concert. After an amazing week, I was lucky enough to celebrate Shabbat with Gorbena BBG and Entratter AZA before heading on my red-eye flight home. It was sad to say goodbye, but I smile thinking about how many teens I’ll be able to reunite with at IC!

I then got to spend a few days at home unpacking, repacking, and seeing school friends who were home on fall breaks before I set out again. This time, I made my way to O’hare Airport in Chicago to spend some time with Great Midwest Region. My short and sweet GMR visit was surrounded by food (mmmm). I tried Portillo’s for the first time, went to an insane MOD Pizza fundraiser for Ometz AZA, and had a delicious dinner with regional board in Evanston, IL. Getting to see teens from the suburbs and the city of Chicago was spectacular (and the food was a wonderful bonus). BTW, do you like Candy Corn? Please let me know! With Halloween around the corner, my GMR visit was spookily stellar (😆).

Something that you may not know about my role is that, during my term, I sit on BBYO’s Board of Directors. Essentially, the BOD is a group of adults (some are BBYO alumni and parents) who provide their time, resources, and expertise to advise the organization because they care deeply about its success. The BOD meets quadrennially and for the past two days, Levi and I have been attending the Fall Meeting. On the first day, we had the awesome opportunity to open the meeting with a D’var Torah where we expanded on our connections to the Parsha of Noah. We then presented a report on BBYO’s teen world, and even got to model our Community Agreement for the Board. While everything that is shared during these meetings is confidential, I’m proud to share my experience with y’all (and I’m proud of myself for how Levi and I presented with passion and confidents)! The following day, the meetings concluded, but my cool experiences in Chicago were not nearly over. I drove outside of the city to meet with the Perlman family and discuss the current state of BBG, and how Anita Perlman’s legacy lives on – talk about amazing! It was truly a privilege to get to spend two days with the Board of Directors strengthening my relationships while discussing what we all love most: AZA, BBG, and BBYO.

So, that’s that! My October. A people and food-filled month where I realized that having something that always calms you down is really important. For me, it’s a certain artist whose songs help me remember to breathe when I’m worked up. For you, that might be a coloring book or taking a walk on a specific path. No matter what, it’s important to know what activity you can rely on when you’re feeling overwhelmed. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here! But I also know that that can be hard, so I urge you to find something that comforts you and is always there for you to utilize no matter where you are.

AZA and BBG, it’s wild that we’re already headed into November; it has felt like so much longer and a blink of an eye at the same time! I hope you all have spooky and super fun Halloweens and that you continue to take care of yourselves in November (especially you, seniors). I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, you know where to find me – can’t wait to see more of you soon!

Respectfully submitted,

Avi Gorodetski

78th Anita M. Perlman International N’siah