DENVER – World Jewish Congress (WJC) NextGen brought
together 44 high-school students from 25 countries for the second in-person and
fourth annual Jewish Youth Assembly (JYA), held on the sidelines of BBYO’s
International Convention from February 12-15 in Denver, Colorado. During the four-day
program, JYA delegates heard from expert speakers and engaged in meaningful
discussions on the most pressing issues facing world Jewry, while taking part
in the largest gathering of teens worldwide. The assembly culminated in the
adoption of this year’s JYA resolution, drafted entirely by the delegates, entitled
Tackling
the Spheres of Extremism and Polarization.
Welcoming participants, WJC NextGen Director Yoni
Hammerman delivered opening remarks, sharing how the work that the JYA
delegates are embarking on is crucial for our Jewish future – that the
discussions they have and the words they will write in drafting this resolution
would not stay within the walls of the convention, but will be spread far and
right in the push to build a stronger future for Jewish people everywhere.
Before jumping into their strategic discussions, delegates
had a session on the basic principles of conflict resolution, and how to
reconcile the extreme sides of society in today’s climate. Following the
opening remarks JYA delegates were divided into four subcommittees, with
NextGen staff facilitating the discussion, each one tailored to addressing
extremism and polarization in the classroom, online, in society, and within the
collective Jewish community.
The subcommittees met consistently over the course of the four-day
program, refining their thoughts and ideas ahead of a final presentation to the
entire group, which was then followed by a collective vote on the resolution. Ahead
of the vote to adopt the resolution, JYA delegates heard from experts and
NextGen members, who all provided insight into leadership, conflict resolution,
and Jewish leadership from high school, university, and beyond.
On Friday, Executive Director of the Israel
Institute, Ariel Roth, spoke about different types of leadership,
as well how to identify a challenge, diagnose a solution, and mobilize those people
in society. Following that was WJC’s Director of Visual Arts, Shahar Azran,
who shared his experiences as a renowned photographer to highlight how the
worlds of diplomacy and photography interact.
The next day, WJC brought in numerous NextGen members to
speak on their different experiences with Jewish leadership through the
resources provided by various NextGen initiatives. Current Lauder Fellows Ryan
Kassanoff (USA, American University) and Abigail Scholnik (Uruguay,
University of Miami), who spoke about their personalized joint Fellowship
workplan, which they are in the process of developing. Their project aims at
providing high-level support to Jewish teens who are at the precipice of making
the transition from high school to university. Together, they have built a
guidebook that showcases the ways Jewish students can get involved in Jewish
life on campus and beyond. During the session, Ryan and
Abigail each elaborated on the unique challenges of being leaders on campus,
and how their experiences inspired them to create their projects.
Current Jewish Diplomatic Academy (JDA) members Emma
Zentner and Daniel Alpert, both BBYO alumni, had a fireside chat
with the JYA delegates on their journeys to Jewish leadership. Emma shared how
she became a Jewish leader as a teenager, serving as international President of
BBYO, offering valuable insights on the importance of leadership within Jewish
communities worldwide. Daniel, a WJC Executive Committee member, contributed
his perspective, enriching the discussion with his experiences. “Seeing JYA in
person is an inspiring sight to see — young teens from around the globe are
engaging in diplomacy training and are being recognized at the largest annual
Jewish teen event in the world,” he shared. “Not only that, these teens are
being engaged in the WJC pipeline of future leadership and now have the ability
to stay connected to WJC NextGen to further the skills they learned in a great
new network of young Jewish leaders.”
The program culminated on Saturday evening, when two JYA delegates
presented the adopted resolution on stage during the BBYO IC plenary session,
which was attended by over 3,000 teen IC participants, as well as hundreds of
BBYO staff, partners, and donors. WJC will use this resolution as a tool to
ensure a stronger and brighter future for these delegates and young Jewish
people everywhere.
During the presentation, Daniella Lerner (Spain) and Musa
Suriel (United States) stated, “Today, we are not merely participants in the
conversation. We are at the forefront, reshaping the dialogue and leading the
charge. Together with our partners at the World Jewish Congress and their
affiliated communities in over 100 countries, BBYO is poised to help implement
this pioneering resolution. This acknowledges the real threat posed by rising
extremism and polarization and calls for immediate action both within and
outside of the Jewish community to make change.”
Modeled after the World Jewish Congress, JYA gives students
firsthand insight into WJC operations and problem-solving developments. To stay
updated on the latest news and developments at WJC NextGen, click here.
