Alon Shalev
Executive Director
Alon Shalev has been the SF Hillel Executive Director for five years. Before this, he was a founder member of Kibbutz Lotan and lived there for 20 years with his wife, Ariela. His sons Pele (11) and Asif (7) were both born there. When not working at Hillel, Alon loves to write and explore San Francisco. He is the author of two novels about social injustices and his favorite part of working at Hillel is taking groups to help rebuild New Orleans and working with these incredible students to volunteer in the SF community.
Email Alon
Office: (415) 333-4922 ext. 16

Heather Erez
Assistant Director
Heather Erez started working at SF Hillel in 2004 after living on Kibbutz Tzora in Israel for six years where she worked with school aged children. As an alum of Chico State she holds the first Modern Jewish and Israeli studies minor in the CSU system. Heather is currently working toward her MA in Jewish Eduction through a pilot program for working professionals at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion.  She attended Camp Swig and was very active in NFTY in high school. She and her husband, Shachar, have two children, Noam (5) and Eden (2) who love to visit Hillel for Shabbat.
Email Heather
Office: (415) 333-4922 ext. 14

Rachel Nilson
Program & Engagement Coordinator
Rachel Nilson grew up in Sonoma County, where her Jewish experiences revolved around her synagogue.  After moving to San Francisco to attend San Francisco State University, where she majored in History and minored in Jewish studies, she began exploring other Jewish outlets.  Rachel became involved with San Francisco Hillel, joining their student board, Israel Coalition, and working as a Koret Israel intern. Jewish campus life opened up a whole new focus for her, and now as the Engagement Coordinator at SF Hillel she is passionate about working with students to sustain a welcoming, fun, and diverse Jewish community. Outside of Hillel Rachel is currently a Abraham’s Vision Fellow, and enjoys museums, hiking, and travel.
Email Rachel
Office: (415) 333-4922 ext. 18

Yochai Shavit
Israel Fellow
Yochai is the sixth generation in his family to be born and raised in Jerusalem. After graduating from high school, he joined the IDF and served 3 years as a tank commander and staff sergeant. Yochai then entered the Hebrew University, majoring in international relations and psychology. Throughout college years he volunteered in various projects and created a project for students to volunteer with older adults suffering from Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Yochai has developed a strong connection to the Israeli society, and a deep love to the state of Israel, which he is excited to share with the student community at the San Francisco Hillel.
Email Yochai
Office: (415) 333-4922 ext.22

Shushannah Akin
Development Assistant
Shushannah graduated from San Francisco State University in 2009 and is excited to work for an organization that helped her shape her Jewish identity as a student. While in school she was an active member of Hillel and the Israel Coalition. In 2006 she became an Abraham's Vision Fellow, and traveled to the Balkans where she studied cross conflict analysis between the Balkan Wars and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict while participating in dialogue with Palestinians. Shushannah lives in San Francisco where she spends her free time attending creating interesting dishes for cooking competitions.

Email Shushannah
Office: (415) 333-4922ext. 10