Stephanie Peck
The new school year began for BBYO with a new Tidewater city director, Evan Gordon. Forty teens are registered between the two chapters, OD (AZA for the boys) and Simcha (BBG for the girls).
Last fall, BBYO Tidewater held two events to begin their year. The first, a pool party, was held in September at the home of the Nied family. Although inclement weather almost cancelled the event, the evening prevailed with s’mores served and new eighth and ninth graders meeting older members. In October, Tidewater’s BBYO members hoped to join the Peninsula BBYO for an evening at Top Golf. Due to a scheduling conflict, however, only Tidewater teens were able to attend.
Other events in the fall included an OD fundraiser car wash (to raise money for the chapter and for Israel), a Simcha pumpkin-decorating activity, and an OD Sunday football watch-along.
On Friday, Dec. 8, Global Shabbat took place on the Sandler Family Campus. Global Shabbat is a worldwide BBYO effort created to offer “a diverse array of thoughtful programming designed to bring the community together around the strength that Shabbat brings to our communities.” BBYO teens lit Hanukkah and Shabbat candles, had a pot-luck dinner, socialized, and competed in an impromptu, girls versus boys, basketball game.
Gordon says that COVID caused the loss of some active members, when four BBYO chapters were combined to two. “My goal is to drive-up interest in BBYO and make it more known in Tidewater,” he says.
“I’m looking at partnerships with other Jewish organizations to help promote the excitement of BBYO.”