Staff

Rabbi Davey is our Chief Executive Officer, leading our staff and furthering the vision of every Jewish student making an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel.  Davey served as Associate Director of U-M Hillel from 2011-2018, working with both Michael Brooks and Tilly.  He received Rabbinic Ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion and holds a Masters in Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary.  He has served as Assistant Director of Camp Ramah New England, Regional Supervisor with Young Judaea, Family Educator at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in New York, and provided spiritual care as a hospice chaplain. Davey is married to Jillian, he loves to play guitar, and enjoys dance parties with their 3 kids Elah, Jonah, and Avi. Contact Rabbi Davey: daveyr@umich.edu

Rav Lisa Stella is our Senior Rabbi. She is a passionate educator, deeply committed to helping college students connect with, and create, Jewish life, learning, and community. Rav Lisa received her rabbinic ordination from the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College in 2014, where she also earned a certificate in Jewish Sacred Music. Rav Lisa particularly enjoys teaching about Jewish Foodways, Feminism, and Jewish Ritual. Before Rabbinical School, Lisa spent three years in Israel, two of them studying at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Learning, and the third wandering a bit in the desert. Rav Lisa is originally from Wisconsin and received her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She loves to talk about baseball, her favorite recipes, and her optimism about the Jewish future. Rav Lisa lives in Ann Arbor with her spouse, Zach Kaiser, an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Michigan State University, and their daughter, Lillian. Contact Rabbi Lisa Stella

Haley was born and raised in Ann Arbor and might never leave! She's a super alum (she has her undergrad and MSW from Michigan) and loves talking about Michigan, Judaism, football, soup, pop culture references, and musical theatre. Haley loves being able to share her excitement for Jewish life at Hillel and looks forward to helping students discover how Judaism can intersect with a multitude of other identities and passions. Outside of Hillel, Haley can be found planning her August 2024 wedding, obsessing over her cat Zuzy, dog Joey, and eating soup. Contact Haley Schreier

Diane is an Indiana native, though now she must be a Michigander because she’s been in Michigan many more years than Indiana. Diane is now our Hillel's longest employee - since 1993! - has is amazing at being our Chief Financial Officer. She spends her time outside of Hillel playing soccer; baking; and chasing her son, Adam, and granddaughter, Lena. Contact Diane Redman

 

Jonathan Shepard joined Michigan Hillel as the Head Chef of the Hillel Café. Jonathan has loved cooking since he was a child, spending time with his parents making holiday meals, and learning basic culinary skills. While attending culinary school at American River college, he further pursued his desire of becoming a chef, figuring out the culinary styles he enjoys the most and how to express himself through his creations. Through his work experience, Jonathan has further discovered who he is as a chef and is excited to share his food with our Hillel. He is looking forward to students stopping by, saying hello, and joining him for a meal! Contact Jonathan Shepard

Emma is a California native but is learning to love the Midwest. She studied Sociology and Jewish studies at UC Davis (go ags!) and loves to talk about the bus she drove in college. Emma is always excited to cultivate meaningful relationships with all the different Jewish communities and students at Michigan. When Emma is not at Hillel, you can find her cooking or baking something delicious, petting other people’s dogs, or exploring all that Ann Arbor has to offer. Contact Emma or set up a time to get coffee with her!

Sarah Balis grew up in Plano, Texas before attending Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University (ASU). She majored in Human Communication with minors in Religious Studies and Nonprofit Management. After college, she spent time in Jerusalem teaching English with Masa Israel Teaching Fellows. Although she still misses the shawarma and rugelach in Israel, she is excited to begin her third year at Michigan Hillel. Her Spotify wrapped usually consists of Hamilton, the Jonas Brothers, and Taylor Swift. Contact her here or schedule a time to get coffee! Contact Sarah Balis

Born and raised in a family full of Michigan alum, Hannah is so excited to be back at Hillel as a Michigan Wolverine this year! Hannah and her husband Brandon, along with their baby daughter Talia, and their adorable blue-eyed corgi Odie, live a little over a mile away from her parents in Farmington Hills. (Big family gal!) Outside of Hillel, you can find Hannah obsessively talking about her kids (2 and 4 legs), working hard at crafting handmade greeting cards, organizing her entire house in rainbow order (She's a Joanna with a hint of Clea), singing songs from every generation but her own, and rewatching the same 5 shows she'll insist you watch because they're that good. Contact Hannah

Allison grew up in Metro Detroit before attending U of M as a Psychology and Judaic Studies major and minoring in Community Action and Social Change. After a year in Pittsburgh working at Hillel at Pitt, Allison is thrilled to be back in Ann Arbor for her 2nd year working at Michigan Hillel. In her free time, Allison loves strolling in downtown Ann Arbor, brunching with friends, and watching Michigan athletics. Allison can’t wait to bring students to Israel and take them to the best restaurants in Jerusalem (if she can decide where to go). Contact Allison or set up a meeting!

Aviva was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI and is a recent graduate of U of M with a degree in Psychology. Since taking “Sex, Love, and Relationships” her sophomore year, Aviva has been hooked on Hillel, so she is extremely excited and grateful to now be a Hillel staff member. Aviva is always happy to talk about gender and sexuality studies, Jewish religious and cultural life, as well as anything you may be interested in. Outside of Hillel, Aviva can be found perfecting her challah recipe, working out, or relaxing with her family and cats! Contact Aviva: avivask@umich.edu

Shiri was born and raised in Haifa, Israel, and just graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and history from Ben-Gurion University. Over the past two years, she's been working as a social media manager and a copywriter. In her free time she enjoys creating playlists, dancing, traveling the world and exploring nature through hiking. Shiri is excited about her new path and looks forward to meeting everyone! Contact Shiri: shiriesh@umich.edu.

Rayla is our Events and Operations Manager. She comes from a background as a producer in local news, which gives her all the right skills to make sure everything going on at Hillel runs smoothly. Rayla came to Hillel while she was studying at West Virginia University and couldn’t be more excited to be back at Hillel, this time at Michigan. She grew up in Pittsburgh, but she came to love Michigan after spending summers up north exploring the state with her fiancé Nick and German Shepard/Husky mix Orion. In her spare time, Rayla loves to hike and camp with Nick and Orion, play Dungeons and Dragons, and make crafts of various kinds. Contact Rayla: rayla@umich.edu.

Uri and Abby Lorkis along with their daughter Naama are arriving for their first year as JLIC Directors at the University of Michigan after a year as the Assistant Directors of JLIC at Bar Ilan University in Givat Shmuel where they have lived for the past few years. Uri grew up 45 minutes from the University in Oak Park, Michigan, is a graduate of Farber Hebrew Day School/Yeshivat Akiva, and is excited to be returning home. Upon graduating high school, Uri studied at Yeshivot Orayta and Hakotel before drafting into the IDF where he served as a paratrooper. After the army, Uri spent two years in Yeshiva, and a third year learning in the Mizrachi Musmachim Semicha Program while studying Social Sciences at Bar Ilan University.Uri likes to play hockey, jam out on guitar and piano, and loves to pick up new skills and hobbies. Contact Uri: ulorkis@umich.edu

Uri and Abby Lorkis along with their daughter Naama are arriving for their first year as JLIC Directors at the University of Michigan after a year as the Assistant Directors of JLIC at Bar Ilan University in Givat Shmuel where they have lived for the past few years. Abby grew up in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from Central High School, Abby spent a year learning in Midreshet Harova. Inspired to move to Israel, Abby made Aliyah, and completed her Bachelors degree in Social Work at Bar Ilan University.Abby loves watercoloring, exploring new cuisines, and being out in nature. Contact Abby: alorkis@umich.edu