Rabbi Jonah Zinn is the proud Executive Director of University of Florida Hillel. Prior to assuming this role in 2019, Rabbi Jonah was the Associate Rabbi at Congregation Shaare Emeth, the largest reform synagogue in St. Louis. During his tenure he served the diverse needs of members of all ages, with a particular focus on youth, young adult, and early childhood engagement. He came to Shaare Emeth from New York City where he received his rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in 2014. Before entering rabbinical school, Jonah served as Assistant Director of Hillel at the University of Virginia from 2005-2009, during which time he was honored as a Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence. Originally from Worcester, Massachusetts, Jonah has a B.A. from The George Washington University. He is married to UF alumna, Jamie Silverstein Zinn, who took him to his first game in the Swamp shortly after they met. Jonah and Jamie are the proud parents of Jacob and Talia.

Born and raised in Exeter, New Hampshire, Jenna graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec in spring 2023. They majored in Honours Classics and minored in Hispanic Studies, with a research emphasis on Jews in Ancient Greece and Rome. As a nonbinary queer person who grew up in NH without a Jewish community, Jenna was not sure where they fit into Judaism but was open to trying different approaches in university. However, the most significant step on their “Jewish Journey” was last summer, when they did Birthright and Onward — an experience that helped them more deeply affirm their Jewish identity and made them passionate about Israel. 

As an undergraduate, Jenna took on numerous leadership roles, including Vice President of Community Relations for their sorority, and Vice President of Finance of the McGill Classics Students Association. They also worked for McGill Residence Life for three years as an advisor to student councils and loved empowering students and seeing their ideas come to life. They are excited to combine this passion with their love of Judaism as a Hillel Springboard Fellow. Outside of their professional life, they enjoy cooking, playing board games, reading, traveling, and seeing movies in theaters. They can’t wait to meet and learn from Jewish Gators at UF Hillel.

As the Senior Development and Communications Associate for UF Hillel, Jenna is responsible for maintaining and cultivating relationships with the organization's donors and supporters.

Born and raised in Virginia, she attended Virginia Commonwealth University and graduated Summa Cum Laude in only 3 years with a degree in Public Relations. While attending VCU, Jenna worked as an Assistant Coordinator for Jewish Life at VCU. This is where she found her love for Hillel and everything it stands for.

​

With her background in event planning, Jenna brings a unique perspective to her role. Jenna is passionate about Hillel's mission and the impact it has on the Jewish community at UF.

Shlomi Kahana is excited to begin his next adventure as the Israel Fellow at UF Hillel. Born in Rehovot, Israel, Shlomi just recently graduated from Ariel University with a degree in Economics and Business Administration and an Internal Auditing certificate. During the last few years, he has been fortunate to work in Ariel and coordinate the preparation of more than 2,000 teenagers. Shlomi has also been working as an Internal Auditor and Economist at KRESTON EYR.

In the Israeli Defense Forces, Shlomi served as a Commander in the Combat Engineering Corps. He was responsible for the mobility of construction and destruction under fire and bomb disposal.

Shlomi is a big fan of sports, extreme training, and traveling in Israel as well as around the world. He is very excited to work with the Jewish Gator community here at UF. He hopes to create a safe, warm space for students to connect and learn about Israel.

Logan King is excited to be the Chief Engagement Officer at the University of Florida Hillel. Originally from Syracuse, New York, Logan attended the Syracuse Hebrew Day School and spent his childhood summers at Camp Seneca Lake. Logan graduated from the University at Buffalo, where he received a B.A. in History and a minor in Jewish Thought. After graduation, he worked at Hillel of Buffalo. In his seven years there, Logan worked to advance the student experience through mentorship, innovative programming, and design thinking. In addition to Hillel, Logan previously worked for the Buffalo Jewish Federation, designing and implementing events and programs for graduate students and young professionals. Similarly, he is a founder of Moishe Pod Buffalo. 

Logan is a proud veteran of the U.S. Army and holds an M.A. in Education and Human Development from George Washington University, where he specialized in Organizational Leadership and Learning. A lover of all things flavorful, Logan is passionate about cooking, eating, and discussing Jewish food. He is a lifelong Syracuse basketball fan, an ardent Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, and of course, loves all things Gators. 

Lana grew up in Moorestown, New Jersey and moved to DeLand, Florida for college where she graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Stetson University. During her time at Stetson, she served as the president of Stetson University Hillel for two years and served on the Hillel International Student Cabinet during her senior year. She is also a Cohort 7 Nachshon Fellow. Outside of Hillel, Lana served as the president of Stetson’s Student Government Association. She also grew up attending URJ Camp Harlam in Pennsylvania.

​

In her free time, Lana enjoys reading, playing guitar, spending time with friends, and taking walks around town. Lana loves getting to know all of the wonderful students at the University of Florida and working to create meaningful Jewish experiences for all Jewish Gators.

Cara Levin is excited to help expand the Jewish Gator Nation's participation and enthusiasm at UF Hillel! She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Florida State University, along with a minor in Criminology and Sociology.

​

Growing up in Gainesville, she attended B'nai Israel, Temple Shir Shalom, and local Jewish day camps. She enjoys hiking, theatre, art, dance, and exploring new places around town. At UF Hillel she hopes to bring students together and offer support during exhilarating and sometimes difficult life events that make up one's college experience.

Rachel Waldorf is excited to join the University of Florida Hillel team as the Chief Experience Officer. She comes to UF having recently served as the Director of Hillel of Northern New Jersey. There she worked on five different campuses all throughout Northern Jersey. She worked to continue to enhance the student experience through leadership development, recruitment, and innovative programming. Having grown up in Central New Jersey, when Rachel was not playing softball, she spent her summers at URJ Camp Harlam. After graduating from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Jewish Studies and Psychology, she spent a year in Israel participating in Tikkun Olam, a MASA program volunteering in nonprofit organizations throughout Tel Aviv- Yaffo. Rachel then found herself working full time for URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute as the Associate Director where she was able to get involved with everything from staff training to program development and fundraising. She currently has a M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Gratz College.

Rachel, along with her mini-goldendoodle, Orly, are excited to join Gator nation. They love spending time outside and exploring new places. Rachel and Orly are looking forward to getting to know the incredible University of Florida students and see all that Gainesville has to offer. 

Jamie (Silverstein) Zinn is thrilled to help advance UF Hillel's mission as Chief Advancement Officer. A 2008 UF alumna, Jamie credits UF Hillel as the spark that ignited her passion for creating joyful Jewish community and pursuing a career in the non-profit sector. Following graduation, Jamie served as the Bronfman Presidential Fellow at Hillel International in Washington, DC, working alongside then president Wayne L. Firestone. She went on to serve as Director of Engagement for Hillel at The George Washington University before moving to NYC where she spent over five years at Repair the World. Prior to returning to UF in 2019, Jamie served as the Associate Director of Development at Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University in St. Louis, where she partnered with physician scientists and grateful patients to advance cancer research through philanthropy.  

​

An alumna of Florida Blue Key, Jamie held leadership roles in student government, Dance Marathon, and Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority, where she currently volunteers as chapter advisor. She has been involved for over a decade with Sharsheret, specifically working to raise awareness about ovarian cancer, and has held numerous leadership roles in local Jewish organizations. Jamie is married to Rabbi Jonah Zinn with whom she shares their most important role of all--proud parents to Jacob and Talia.