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BBYO is a Jewish teen movement, organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The organization is intended to build the identity of Jewish teens and offer leadership development programs.
On June 19, 2001, the movement split from B'nai B'rith International, which had been its parent organization, to become incorporated as B'nai B'rith Youth Organization Inc." B'NAI B'RITH YOUTH ORGANIZATION INC. - Initial File Number: 212043". Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Government of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
BBYO is organized into local fraternity- and sorority-like chapters. Male chapters are known as Aleph Zadik Aleph and their members are known as Alephs and female chapters as B'nai B'rith Girls, and their members are known as BBGs. AZA and BBG were independent organizations (beginning in 1924 and 1944 respectively) before becoming brother and sister organizations under B'nai B'rith. In some communities, there are co-ed BBYO chapters that borrow traditions from both organizations.
By 1925, AZA had expanded east with dozens of chapters across the country. At Beber's urging, B'nai B'rith took up the issue of officially adopting AZA as its junior auxiliary at their national convention in 1925. Supported by Henry Monsky, who himself was vying for the B'nai B'rith presidency, the convention adopted a committee report affirming its approval of the organization under B'nai B'rith's jurisdiction. Immediately following the convention, the B'nai B'rith Executive Committee met and officially adopted AZA, which then became known as the Aleph Zadik Aleph of B'nai B'rith.
Traditionally, BBYO was a conglomeration of many largely independent regions. This was the result of the modification of B'nai B'rith's long-standing "district" model. As new forms of communication have brought the members and staff of BBYO in closer contact, and as the differences between geographic regions continue to deteriorate, BBYO has become much more of a top-down organization, with standardized marketing materials and directives. BBYO has reached into the online market with its b-linked.org website, into the middle school market with its BBYO Connect programs, and the adult market with its Friends & Alumni Network.
On February 15–19, 2024 BBYO held its Intentional Convention in Orlando, Florida. This convention marked its 100th year as a youth organization for the AZA (Boys) and 80th year for BBG's (girls). The organization is active in more than seventy regions in Europe, South Africa, Australia, and North America. As of 2024, BBYO has more than 700 chapters in fifty counties, with 70,000 members and over 350,000 alumni.
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