Global Jewish teen club leader visits Park City as local chapter gains momentum

PARK CITY, Utah — Kayla Hertzberg was in Park City on Thursday for an ice cream social and parent mixer hosted by Temple Har Shalom, one of the fastest-growing Jewish congregations in the country. The informational event was held to help determine whether a new chapter of BBYO should be started in Park City.

More people attended and expressed interest than expected, signaling positive momentum toward that goal.

Hertzberg is this year’s co-president of the international organization and is spending the year traveling to many of the 63 countries and 38 states where BBYO has some of its 725 chapters.

She was elected last year by her Jewish teen peers in Philadelphia at the organization’s annual gathering. Coincidentally, the event will be held this year in the recent high school graduate’s hometown of Baltimore, where she has been involved with BBYO since eighth grade. Her parents also recently became homeowners in Park City.

Rachel Riff, a Park City High School student, served as the local representative at Thursday’s event. She serves on the Utah BBYO teen board, as well as a Park City Library-related book club board and a Park City Municipal-related student-athlete advisory board.

BBYO stands for B’nai B’rith Youth Organization. Based in Washington, D.C., it is the largest Jewish teen organization in the world.

“I think Park City would be a great place to build a new BBYO chapter because it’s a growing Jewish community,” Hertzberg told TownLift. “And there’s lots of teens who are in this area where it might feel sometimes a little bit isolating to be a Jewish teen, so having, like, that space to come to BBYO would be really great for a lot of teens to meet teens from different backgrounds and just be able to, like, become friends with them and build those community connections.”

Eighteen coed teens attended the event along with their parents and guardians. But Hertzberg said the evening was about more than attendance.

“More importantly than numbers, getting a feeling for the desire among the local families to build a new Park City chapter is ultimately what tonight’s all about,” she said.

If a chapter is chartered, members would split their time between social gatherings and educational activities, along with community-wide service and volunteer projects.

Alex Shapiro has served as CEO of the United Jewish Federation of Utah for the past 16 years. He and the 83-year-old organization’s assistant director, Liz Paige, were in Park City for Thursday’s event. BBYO operates under the federation’s administrative umbrella in Utah.

“Tonight provides an opportunity for all the teens to come and meet this international president,” Shapiro told TownLift. “And we’ve invited parents of prospective teens who may want to join to come learn about the neighborhood youth and understand what their kids will be getting involved in, the philanthropy their teens can give to their town, the leadership skills they’ll learn, the travel opportunities that are available, and so much more.”

Ruthie Pearlman, BBYO’s senior manager of new chapters and community expansion, also flew in from Nashville for the event. She joined two student members from Salt Lake City in helping organize the gathering.

A determination on whether a new Park City chapter will be formed is expected soon.