Key Terms

Board Positions

• Aleph Gadol - Chapter President
• Aleph Sgan - Vice President
• Aleph Moreh - Recruitment and retention of new members
• Aleph Gizbar - Treasurer
• Aleph Shaliach - Religion/Judaism
• Aleph Metaksher - Communications VP
• Aleph Mazkir - Secretary
• Aleph Machshev - Technology
• Aleph Katav - Publications
• Aleph Shotare - Sergeant at Arms
• Aleph Kohen Gadol - Spirit/Religion

Organization

• Chapter - Local AZA group
• Region - Geographic collection of chapters
• IC - International Convention

BBYO Terms

• Brother/Sister Chapter - A chapter that shares your chapter’s recruitment territory, but is for the opposite gender (Ex: JSZ BBG and Ramon AZA)
• Board - A group of people with specific roles that help lead their section; BBYO as a whole, each region, and each chapter have their own board
• Term - The 6 month period that a board serves
• Advisor - Adults who supervise each chapter; they “will let you skin your knee, but not break your neck”

Chapter Events and Terms

• Inductions - An event with an inductions ceremony at the end to induct new members into the chapter and re-induct old ones
• Aleph in Training (AIT) - An event planned by the moreh where we learn about chapter heritage
• Parent in Training (PIT) - An event, usually planned (in Ramon) by the Metaksher, used specifically to educate the parents of the chapter about BBYO and how they can be more involved in the chapter
• Anniversary Night - Once a year on the Saturday closest to October 28th, we eat at Jake’s Pizza and play minigolf to commemorate Seuss AZA’s first event
• Midstates - An event planned by the Gadol in the middle of the term, where he reviews the chapter’s progress
• Fraternity (Frat) Night - The event the Saturday before elections where we chill and do some karaoke before the unfraternal event the next day
• Elections - A Sunday event where we select the alephs for the next term’s board positions, labeled “the most unfraternal day of the term”
• Installations (Installs) - A ceremony where the old officers are retired and the newly elected ones are installed
• Convention - A weekend long regional or chapter event
• Leadership Summits (LS) - The fall convention specifically made to teach people about leadership and how to be better leaders
• Kallah - The convention with an emphasis on Judaism; both the chapter and the region hold one
• Spring - The spring convention comprised mostly of chapter spirit; Seniors’ last convention
• Balaban - A convention at Steve Balaban’s cool property in the mountains; there is a pool, and after the event portion, we climb Scar and sleep in tents

The 5 (6) Folds

Each and every program at an event should fall into one of the folds. The folds are a guideline for what should be included at an event:

• Athletics - Sports in AZA have always been vital to the building of brotherhood and fraternity. Many councils and regions throughout the Order compete in several different sports. Not only do AZA chapters among the Order compete in sporting events, but also participate in games and athletic-based programming.

• Community Service/Social Action - In accordance with Jewish tradition, AZA emphasizes the values of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and tzedakah (charity). Community service can entail a wide range of hands-on activities that involve direct service to those in need. Social action involves mobilizing and educating members to address problems that exist in society.

• Education - Through AZA, Alephs are challenged to learn about things beyond themselves and the borderlines of our Jewish faith. Through educational programming teens learn material that broaden our knowledge and give each individual Aleph a new understanding about the world around them. Education also entails teaching members the traditions of AZA.

• Judaic - Judaic programs bring a unique, spiritual aspect to life in AZA, seeking to develop an understanding of, and appreciation for, the religion and culture of the Jewish people. Through programming in the Judaic fold, we not only learn about our denomination of Judaism, but also about the ones around us.

• Social - AZA chapters sponsor and participate in a wide variety of social programs, often with BBG chapters. While there is nothing wrong with simple social programming, it is important to be creative and use the fold in the proper proportion and to combine this with other folds for effective, meaningful programming.

• Health - The newest fold, health represents physical, mental, and emotional well being. Seeing as the Athletic fold covers physical health, this fold focuses more on mental and emotional health, and includes various programs such as disability and mental health awareness programs.