Dear Perlman Summer 2024,

My first-ever summer experience with BBYO. From the moment the plane landed in Newark, I knew this experience was going to be life-changing. Or that feeling I felt when the bus first pulled in through the gates of Perlman, I knew this was my forever home away from home. As ILTC flew by, there were so many amazing moments that stood out to me that I will never forget. Like when I finally found my “forever friends,” even though we weren't together for every activity or meal, we still found each other and bonded like never before, which for me was amazing because I feel for the past couple of years I have been in search of my forever friends, so meeting them here at Perlman was so special to me. I knew this summer was gonna be unforgettable from the moment I stepped into Dorm 5 and every moment after that. In addition to my friends, I also felt very empowered and inspired by the staff surrounding me, which made me believe in myself to do great things back home and here at Perlman.

Throughout all the programs at ILTC, I found that one of my favorite programs, and that I value the most, was while I was at ILTC and why I wanted to go to ILTC in the first place. The Blueprint (Leadership Training), where we got to dive deep into what skills we could use back home to our regions and chapters. I loved getting the opportunity to dive deep into the core values of leadership, create ideas from new perspectives, and make change back in my region. I also feel that ILTC lit a fire inside me to take charge and make change in my region, like, for example, starting a new chapter closer to where I live and so many more ideas that I can't wait to share with my region! Getting the opportunity to experience everything that ILTC has to offer has really, truly changed me as a person and a leader. Whether I use the skills I learned from ILTC in BBYO or wherever I go in life, I will forever take what I learned at ILTC with me wherever I go in life. So thank you, ILTC, for the best leadership opportunity and meeting some of my closest friends. I love each and every one of you so much, and I'm so glad we got to meet on this amazing experience!!

Kallah was special in so many different ways, and looking back on it, I'm so grateful I did it. Originally, I had just signed up for ILTC, and when I heard about Kallah, I jumped at the opportunity, little did I know how impactful it would be. As I transitioned out of ILTC and into Kallah, I said goodbye to some of my friends and made new ones. The transition from leaving friends and leaving the ILTC community was hard, but once I settled in, I was ready to take on Kallah and make the most of my time left at Perlman. Again, there are so many amazing and meaningful programs that I loved, but most of all, I loved getting to experience for another three weeks at Perlman.

Some of my favorite programs were the speakers we had come in. For example, we had a lot of speakers come in during a weekend called “Israel 360,” which was one of my favorite programs throughout Kallah. I feel I really connected with some of the speakers and what they were talking about. Like how they cover antisemitism on college campuses to the current events in Israel and in politics. Again it was very inspiring, and I'm so glad I got to experience this program while I was on Kallah. Another thing that stood out to me during Kallah was all the conversations about antisemitism from around the world. I found it very powerful because I felt I understood what they were going through. I also found that being surrounded by so many Jewish teens all in one place for 3 weeks was truly so special because there could be so many other places where some of us could be, but we choose to spend 3, or some 6, weeks together united as a Jewish movement all just celebrating being Jewish.

Therefore I am so beyond grateful that I had the opportunity to experience this once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget because of how Kallah shaped me as a person and ILTC strengthened me as a leader. Overall my Perlman experience was one that has truly changed my life through leadership and my Jewish identity. I will forever love the Shabbats around the Perlman tree singing at the top of my lungs surrounded by my best friends, who I will always call my family. To having a bat mitzvah at this special place, from just staring at the beautiful scenery of Perlman, to finding my lifelong friends, to songleading Shabbat Shira, to just talking for hours and hours in a hammock with my literal twin, or swimming at the lake with my friends, and so many more memories that I will forever cherish for the rest of my life. If you are thinking about going on a BBYO summer experience, I 110% percent recommend doing a full Perlman summer if you can, because you will meet people from all over the world, make long-lasting friends, gain amazing leadership experience and skills, explore yourself, and have the best summer of your life.