They Went to Remember. They Returned Ready to Build.

July 24, 2026

Twenty-six young Jewish Atlantans traveled to Poland expecting to learn about the Holocaust.

They returned with something far more personal: a deeper connection to their Jewish identity, a stronger understanding of Jewish resilience, and a renewed commitment to building Jewish life in Atlanta and beyond.

Over six days, Federation’s Young Leadership Division Journey to Poland took participants through Warsaw, Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Krakow. They stood in cemeteries, mass grave sites, and former death camps, confronting the darkest chapters of Jewish history.

Yet some of the most powerful moments happened not in places of destruction, but in places filled with Jewish life.

For participant Alli Boardman, that contrast defined the journey.

“We experienced some of the lowest of lows on this trip, but we also experienced some of the highest of highs,” she said. “One day we visited Auschwitz, and that evening we celebrated Shabbat with more than 200 people at the Krakow JCC. We were singing, dancing, and celebrating Jewish life.”

For Becca Nooromid, Federation’s Director of Young Leadership Division, that contrast became one of the journey’s most important lessons.

“I arrived in Poland expecting to learn about destruction,” she reflected. “I left understanding resilience. I learned about death, but I learned even more about life.”

Throughout the week, participants encountered thriving Jewish communities rebuilding and creating a vibrant future. In Warsaw and Krakow, they met young Jews building community, celebrating tradition, and investing in the next generation. They saw firsthand that Jewish life continues because people choose to strengthen it every day.

They also witnessed Federation’s impact in action.

Through decades-long partnerships with organizations like the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), Federation helps strengthen Jewish communities around the world by investing in education, security, community resilience, and Jewish life across generations.

In Poland, participants saw those partnerships in action, meeting the organizations, community leaders, and beneficiaries whose lives are strengthened through this global network of support.

There are Federation stories everywhere,” Becca said. “The work we do in Atlanta didn’t feel distant from this place. It felt deeply connected.”

That connection became tangible during a volunteer project at the JCC Krakow, where participants packed meal kits for Ukrainian refugees. For many in the group, it was a reminder that Jewish organizations do more than preserve memory; they help people rebuild their lives.

The experience also transformed how some participants viewed Federation itself.

“I don’t think a lot of people understand all the good work that Federation does because I didn’t for a long time,” Alli said. “Now that I’m learning about it, it’s just an incredible organization.”

Alli’s experience with Federation began on a previous Young Leadership Division journey to Cuba and led her to become involved with Federation’s Young Leadership Committee. Poland reinforced her desire to stay engaged and continue building community at home.

The journey was never only about remembering the past.

It was about understanding what comes next.

Throughout the week, participants learned about destruction, but they witnessed even more examples of resilience. They met people rebuilding Jewish life, supporting refugees, creating community, and investing in the next generation. They saw that Jewish life continues because people choose to strengthen it.

The lesson they brought home was both simple and powerful: remembrance matters. But so does what we build next.

The future of Jewish life is not something we inherit. It is something we create. In Poland, participants saw what happens when communities invest in one another, show up for one another, and refuse to let Jewish life fade. They returned to Atlanta inspired to do the same.

That’s why Federation invests in experiences like the Young Leadership Division Journey to Poland. By connecting Atlanta’s emerging leaders to Jewi h communities around the world, donors are helping ensure the next generation doesn’t simply remember Jewish history; they become the people who will shape its future.

Read Becca’s full reflections here.

Keep an eye on our calendar for the next YLD Journey.