BBYO launched BBYO On Demand—a brand new virtual programming platform open to Jewish teens worldwide. We saw many communities cancelling programming in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and our vision with this platform was to digitize (using Zoom, Instagram, and Facebook), rather than cancel, these experiences that are so important for Jewish youth. Since launching, more than 50,000 users have engaged with the On Demand platform, more than 2,000 programs (or episodes as we like to call them) have been run by our teens, staff, partners, and supporters, and we’ve had some fun with a Virtual Afikoman Hunt for Passover, online global day of Jewish teen service (J-Serve), a full-day of Holocaust Survivors (from Amsterdam to San Francisco) telling their stories on Zoom for Yom HaShoah, and much more.
The platform has offered some incredible moments (see some of our featured programming here) for our audience. We’ve hosted dozens of special guests like Serial Entrepreneur, Mark Cuban; Lyricist for Dear Evan Hansen and La La Land, Benj Pasek; New York Times Editor, Bari Weiss; DJ and Music Producer, Matoma; Israeli Politician, Natan Sharansky; Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks; and the list keeps growing.
