BBYO is set to receive $25 million, which the youth organization said is a record gift. Theodore Perlman, a Chicago-based philanthropist, industrialist and founder of the HAVI Group, pledged to donate the sum to launch the Anita M. Perlman Women’s Leadership Initiative.
The announcement was made at the BBYO International Convention in Denver, on Feb. 14. BBYO will have celebrations throughout the year honoring “women who have made an impact in their communities and the world” and will have sessions focusing on topics like women’s empowerment and leadership training, according to the organization.
The initiative, named after Perlman’s mother, will provide BBYO with the resources it needs to train young Jewish women and teenagers to take leadership positions within the Jewish community and organization, according to BBYO.
Anita Perlman helped found B’nai B’rith Girls 75 years ago.
In her memory, BBYO will change the name of the position of International N’siah to the Anita M. Perlman International N’siah. The International N’siah serves a one-year term as an ambassador to Jewish teens around the world. n
