Seattle Leaders Join National Young Leadership Cabinet Mission to Greece
Written by Stephanie Shujman and Caitlin Yusen
May 26, 2026
In April, members of Seattle’s National Young Leadership Cabinet (NYLC) traveled on a study mission to Thessaloniki and Athens, Greece, with the Jewish Federation network. Cabinet is a national program preparing young Jewish adults for leadership, advocacy, and communal engagement.
During the trip, they explored Jewish history and present-day community life in Greece, meeting with local leaders, visiting historical sites, and reflecting on the profound loss and the resilience of Jewish people.
Taking action to carry memories forward
Thessaloniki, once known as the “Jerusalem of the Balkans,” was home to one of the largest and most vibrant Sephardic Jewish communities in Europe for centuries. Before World War II, Jews made up a significant portion of the city’s population, contributing to its culture, language, and economy. That world was almost entirely destroyed during the Holocaust.
Today, most people remain unaware of this utter devastation – a thriving community reduced to a tiny remnant, and how deeply that absence still echoes in the city’s identity.
Stephanie Shujman delivers remarks in Thessaloniki’s railyard, the site where thousands of Jews were forcibly deported on cattle cars during WWII.
As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I found standing in that very place and leading my Chevre in a ceremony of remembrance on Yom HaShoah was profoundly moving. It was not just an act of remembrance, but a deeply personal confrontation with both loss and resilience. Being physically present in a place where nearly an entire Jewish population was erased made history feel immediate and urgent, not distant.
In a time when Holocaust denial and distortion persist, that experience made it clear that just remembering the past is not enough. The memories must be carried forward through action, through leadership, and through a willingness to stand up even when it feels uncomfortable or frightening.
We cannot wait until it feels easy or safe. This is the moment to step forward. I will continue to raise my hand to lead when my community needs it most, even when it is scary, because silence is not an option.
Being loud and proud as Jews today is not just about identity; it is about responsibility. Our pride and our leadership serve as a living tombstone for those who were lost, for those who have no graves, and for the communities that were brutally erased. In honoring them, we ensure that the world does not forget who we are, and what was taken, and we affirm that Jewish life, memory, and strength endure.
Stephanie Shujman
NYLC National Co-Chair
Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle Campaign Chair
Making deep connections to past and present
This trip to Greece was incredibly meaningful to me in ways I didn’t fully anticipate. It was my first group trip since Birthright Israel at 26, when I didn’t know most of the people, so I was nervous and unsure of what to expect. I didn’t fully understand what the “mission” would feel like until we arrived, but being thrown directly into the experience ended up being exactly what I needed.
Caitlin Yusen and other members of Seattle’s NYLC delegation atop Athens’ Acropolis.
One of the most impactful moments for me was visiting the Jewish Museum in Thessaloniki and learning about the once-thriving Jewish community that existed there before the Holocaust. Hearing the stories of the families, businesses, traditions, and lives that were destroyed, and standing in the place where so many Jews were deported by train to Auschwitz, made history feel painfully real in a way I will never forget.
The ceremony we held at the train station was one of the most profound experiences I’ve ever had. It was incredibly powerful standing there with people who shared our connection to Judaism, Israel, and Jewish identity. I just met them, but we already felt deeply connected, as if we were bonded through shared grief, pride, memory, and responsibility.
The experience also felt deeply personal because my ancestors are from the Greek Island of Rhodes. Standing there, I kept thinking about my grandparents’ relatives and all the families whose stories ended there. It made me miss them. It made me want to tell their stories. And it made me feel an even stronger responsibility to support Jewish organizations and preserve Jewish history and community.
Caitlin Yusen and other members of Seattle’s NYLC delegation atop Athens’ Acropolis.
Members of National Young Leadership Cabinet in Thessaloniki’s railyard.
It also surprised me how quickly our relationships during the trip became so meaningful. Learning about everyone’s backgrounds, family dynamics, struggles, and experiences reminded me how much we all have in common, even when our lives look completely different on the surface. Some people came from extremely close families, others from more complicated situations, but there was a shared understanding and shared identity that made it easy to move past surface-level interactions and form real connections.
I left Greece feeling incredibly proud. Proud to be Jewish, proud to represent Seattle, and proud to be part of a community that continues to show up for one another across cities, generations, and experiences. The trip also inspired me to become more involved in our community back home. Seeing what other cities are doing well made me excited to bring back ideas, strengthen our Cabinet, and continue building meaningful Jewish life in Seattle.
Most of all, this trip reminded me that Judaism is not just history. It is memory, resilience, responsibility, and community. And I feel grateful to have experienced that so deeply alongside such remarkable people.
Caitlin Yusen
National Young Leadership Cabinet Member
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