Four Jewish teens attending the 2025 BBYO IC in Denver. (Courtesy of BBYO)
In February, for the first time in the nearly two-decade history of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization’s International Convention, the organization’s “Super Bowl” will take place in Philadelphia.
The city will play host to the Jewish teen movement’s gathering from Feb. 12-16, bringing approximately 5,000 total attendees into town for what the organization states is the second largest Jewish communal event in North America.
“Every February, delegates, teen leaders from across the globe, as well as community leaders, executives, philanthropists and a lot of other folks that support Jewish teen life and care about the Jewish feature gather for this conference that feels like a festival, that feels like a leadership immersive experience, that feels like an annual meeting. It feels a little bit like a Jewish teen South by Southwest,” said Ian Kandel, the senior VP of movement building at BBYO and a Bucks County native, referring to the massive media and music festivals that take place each year in Austin, Texas.
BBYO is the “world’s largest Jewish youth movement,” according to Kandel, a pluralistic movement reaching around 70,000 Jewish teens across 750 communities in 65 countries.
Kandel said BBYO, originally the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, is excited to bring its signature annual event to Philadelphia after being forced to cancel the convention that was scheduled in the city due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
He said that Philadelphia is an ideal community to host the event due in part to a healthy local BBYO program and others across the region, including South Jersey, who will be sharing the “hosting honor and responsibilities.”
Kandel added that the city is a place where BBYO can “do meaningful work,” and is large enough that it can logistically handle 5,000 people coming in for an event.
“Philadelphia offers us tremendous opportunities for community service, volunteering, learning about cutting edge industry. It’s a place with tremendous educational institutions,” Kandel said. “We want to be in Jewish communities that can be ideal hosts, that have a history of being a part of large Jewish experiences, where the community feels a part of something bigger.”
The conference offers teens the chance to attend hundreds of programs and workshops and hear from a list of over 100 speakers including some famous names.
Actor Giancarlo Esposito, college football quarterback Jake Retzlaff, author Sarah Hurwitz, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft were among those who participated in the 2025 convention.
Kandel explained that the gathering is popular among Jewish teens across the world and getting a slot to attend is a highly competitive process. He said the event typically sells out several minutes after registration opens and the waitlist stretches into the thousands.
The event is so popular, he believes, because the teens of today want to attend events that are bigger than themselves and enrich their lives through interpersonal connections plus unique experiences.
Kandel said that interest in the conference has grown over the years. The first events had a few hundred attendees, compared to the thousands who are sign up today.
Kandel doesn’t think that the Oct. 7 attacks and its aftermath are a reason for the increased popularity, as it was a trend BBYO saw for years prior to 2023.
“We do not believe that the enthusiasm for BBYO or the International Conference specifically is a result of what’s hard or scary about being Jewish, but it’s the best of being Jewish. We have a proud tradition. We have a lot of opportunities to share goodness and meaningful contribution with the world. This is one of the ways in which teens who happen to be Jewish get to access that,” Kandel said.
The senior VP said the interest displayed by teens around the world are a positive sign for the next generation.
“It’s really impressive that at this day and age, where everyone’s always bemoaning whether the next generation of the Jewish community is going to really care about being connected and really care about leading and really care about contributing. We have built something that teens fight aggressively to get a spot and be a part of,” Kandel said.
Kandel said the international collaboration is a major benefit for the teens, who are gaining connections with their peers and potential future colleagues in Jewish communal professional or lay leadership roles.
“When the teens leave, I see it sets them up with vision and excitement and new ideas and this reminder that they’re a part of something that’s strong and vibrant. And you see that pay off for the rest of the school year and into the next,” Kandel said.