I ran for Mountain’s Regional Gizbor as a freshman. Now, Mountain is by no means a small region, and there were people caucused for Regional Gizbor with more leadership experience than I had, and I lost. This was unfortunate because even though I knew deep in my heart I wasn’t going to win, I was still rejected by the region. So, a month later, I went back to my chapter, THE Jonas Salk AZA, and ran for Chapter S’gan, which I promptly lost and lost my slide of Moreh, and was nominated and won Shaliach—my current position.

So overall, not a great run for me.

Even though I loved being Shaliach, I did not intend to be Shaliach again. However, I decided to make the most of the opportunity, because even though it wasn’t in my plans, my brother Alephs in my chapter decided that I was the best for that position, and I had to execute. After a transformative summer at a local summer camp in Northern Arizona, I learned a bunch about Judaism and came back with a deepened faith not only in my roots but in myself. My second term as Shaliach was a success, and I won Top Team Shaliach, or the best Shaliach in the region, for a second time. 

It was around this point that I knew deep in my heart I was the best person for Regional Shaliach. Sidenote: I don’t know how many people read these articles, but my biggest piece of advice to anyone reading these articles searching for elections advice (as I once did) is: do not, under any circumstances, run for a position simply because you were president of your chapter already or you want the status of being on board. Run for the position where you will make the biggest impact on your chapter, council, region, or the entire world. Anyways, I ran for Moreh in December for my chapter and won. This was a great experience and I enjoyed being Moreh. I would recommend it. I did a lot for my chapter that term, and I tried to focus on building the next generation of leaders for Salk since we had a large senior class that year, which was the heart of our chapter. Being Moreh gave me a new perspective on leadership as I was only Gizbor and Shaliach up until that point.

Fast forward to March, and caucusing opened. I texted our regional Godol and set up a call to caucus. Now, caucusing is the official start of candidacy, but by that time, I had my speech and platform ready to go. I caucused, submitted my platform, and anxiously waited for convention. The biggest thing I was worried about going into it wasn’t my speech or my platform, but who I was running against. Mountain, as I said before, is a large region with a lot of leaders who are active in the international order. This plays into another piece of advice I have and a lesson I learned after regional elections: no matter how much you want to, do not worry about who you are running against! The only thing you can control during elections is your platform and your speech. There is absolutely no point in worrying about who you are running against because, ultimately, you have no control over them.

April 6th, 2025: Election Day. Shaliach in Mountain Region is the fourth position elected, and the board was looking great. The chair said, “Would all those caucused for Regional Aleph Shaliach please rise and remain standing,” and I stayed standing. I looked around and saw three other people standing with me; three of my brothers. I said yes three times, and it was time to do what I was practicing for months. Due to my last name being early in the alphabet, I was chosen to go first. The Shotare Godol took the other candidates outside, and I gave my speech and talked about my platform. At least, I’m pretty sure I did. I don’t remember giving my speech at all; I completely blacked out. I don’t know whether it was nerves or just the adrenaline of it all, but I couldn’t tell you anything that happened during that period. All I remember is giving my fraternally submitted and almost falling down when I was walking out of the election room. I walked out of there, and the next candidate came in. I looked out and saw two of my close friends: one from my own chapter and another from another chapter, Akiva. The other candidate, while we are not as close, was Godol of his chapter, and I have a lot of respect for him. So, I was honestly pretty upset that I was running against people I had so much respect for, but this gives another lesson. Every single person you run against has the same common interest in mind. No one person you run against is actively trying to destroy BBYO (or at least I’d hope not), so never disrespect the other caucused candidates in your head or to others. It’s just not worth it. Every caucused candidate should believe they are the best person for that position and is working for the benefit of the region in mind; it’s ultimately up to the voters to decide.

I waited outside of the election room for what felt like an eternity with my chapter advisor and all-around GOAT, Troy. I remember getting someone coffee—I don’t know if it was for Troy or for someone else—but again, I don’t remember most of that day. The last candidate finished their speech, and I walked into the election room to vote. I voted and walked to the back of the election room to talk to one of my close friends about how I did. He said I did well, which was good news, but I took it with a grain of salt because I heard that exact same thing a year prior. The Regional Godol walked out after counting the votes and announced we were not successful, which I expected. With four candidates, it was unlikely for that to happen. It was me and Akiva. After the announcement, I walked to Akiva and gave him a hug. I knew we would both be amazing at this position, and I was glad to see it be between us. After a revote, the votes were cast, and my name was announced as Mountain’s 78th Regional Shaliach. I gave Akiva another hug and took a seat.

Running for office in BBYO is a funny thing. It can be beautiful, and it can be ugly—I’ve seen both. It is completely unlike any political process seen in the modern world with so much communication and attacks. Alephs run against Alephs and BBGs run against BBGs, but instead of running on totally contrasting ideas and completely different visions, we all have one main goal: improving our order and expanding it across the world. You don’t have opponents in elections in this order.

You have your brothers.