Throughout my time in BBYO, staff and my peers would throw around this word. I never actually knew what it meant, but it followed me throughout the past few years. It would appear on surveys, and staff would refer to our movement as “pluralistic.” Obviously, the root of the word is “plural,” meaning more than one. However, it never occurred to me what the concept actually meant.

This past summer at Kallah, my biggest takeaway was that in BBYO, we are forever united by one thing: our Judaism. Within Judaism, there is more than one denomination, and we all have our own customs and traditions. I learned that just because someone is more observant than me does not make me “less Jewish” than them, and vice versa. 

On one of the last nights of our program, we were given our very own siddurim. Our task was to trade with someone who had a different siddur than us. The activity was meant to spark interest and curiosity. We may not all read from the same book or even attend the same synagogues, but we are all here for the same reason. 

Oftentimes, we feel pressure to be “Jewish enough,” wanting to practice every ritual or do everything a certain way. I guarantee that if you were sitting in a room with over 100 BBYO teens, Judaism would probably mean something different to every single person there. The most important thing is that we care enough to show up, learn from one another, and stay connected to our Jewish community.

The way each of us practices Judaism is unique, yet it is still special for all of us. BBYO is a place to grow into your Jewish identity. We are all just trying to figure it out together. There is no single way to practice Judaism.

BBYO is a place where we are united not by our practices or even our beliefs, but by our communities. Our movement is rooted in family, brotherhood, and sisterhood. This is a place where any and every Jewish teen is welcomed with open arms.