Speak UP Week 2013 celebrates Israel

Boston, Mass. – From November 4 to 8, teens from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont will join peers from around the world for Speak UP Week 2013, a BBYO International initiative that explores Israel education, awareness and advocacy through formal, informal and experiential lenses.

Themed “Find Your Israel,” each day of the week features a prompt that encourages teens to think about the different ways they connect with Israel and share them through social media platforms. Speak UP Week programming also offers information about Israeli history, culture, various Israel advocacy organizations and ways to support the Jewish Homeland.

Speak UP Week 2013 includes an exciting video storytelling contest, “I Find My Israel when …,” where people can share their personal connection to Israel. Video submissions will be voted for online at bbyo.org and the winner will receive Israel swag from BBYO’s Speak UP Week partner, StandWithUs, which they can proudly use to show their support for Israel.

BBYO New England invites the entire community to get involved and share how they identify with, support and advocate for Israel socially by joining the online conversation using the hashtag: #SpeakUPWeek.

BBYO is the leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences. For 90 years, BBYO‘s leadership programs, the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA, high school fraternity) and the B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG, high school sorority) have been providing exceptional leadership programs and identity enrichment experiences, shaping the confidence and character of more than 400,000 alumni who are among the most prominent figures in business, politics, academia, the arts and Jewish communal life.

Now, BBYO’s network of Jewish teens, alumni, parents, volunteers and philanthropists serves as the Jewish community’s most valuable platform for delivering to the post-bar/bat Mitzvah audience fun, meaningful and affordable experiences. With year-round activities in hundreds of local communities and inspiring world-wide travel experiences, BBYO’s broad program menu enables teens to explore areas of leadership, service, civic engagement, Israel education and Jewish values.

about Speak UP Week 2013 or to get involved with BBYO New England, please contact Casey Topol Pressberg, Regional Director, at ctopol@bbyo.org or 617-299-1925.

Editor’s note: BBYO should not be referred to as the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, but rather by its acronym “BBYO.”