MEET OUR STAFF!

Debbie Yunker Kail (She/Her)
Executive Director

Debbie has proudly served Jewish college students at Hillel for 20 years, including the past 12 years as Executive Director of Hillel at ASU. She has had the honor of bringing the values of pluralism, innovation, collaboration, and leadership development to Jewish Sun Devils across ASU’s four campuses.

Debbie has been recognized for her work by several organizations, including ADL Campus Champion, the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence (Hillel International’s highest honor), and the Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize. A leader in the Hillel movement, Debbie served as chair of the Hillel Directors’ Cabinet and spent four years on the Hillel International Board of Directors. 
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Locally, Debbie serves on the board of FruitfulAZ , is a graduate of the ADL Glass Leadership Institute, and has served as a mentor in the Women’s Leadership Institute. She holds a B.A. in psychology from Emory University and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from New York University. In her spare time, she loves exploring nature in and around Phoenix with her husband, Ben, and their two children.

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Presentations
Anti-Semitism at ASU? Being Jewish on Campus | FEB 16 2021
ADL's Never Is Now 2021 | Confronting Antisemitism on Campus: A How-To Guide

Taylor M Silverman (She/Her)
​Managing Director

Taylor has spent the past five years proudly serving the Jewish Sun Devil community and brings a decade of nonprofit leadership experience to her role as Managing Director. She is passionate about cultivating future Jewish leaders, developing emerging talent, and fostering a strong sense of Jewish belonging.

Taylor’s leadership has been recognized with multiple honors, including the Rosalind Ellenson Prize at HUC, the Order of Arete at USC, and Hillel International’s Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award. She holds dual master’s degrees in Social Work from the University of Southern California and in Jewish Nonprofit Management from Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. Her graduate research focused on workplace wellness and strategies to prevent burnout in Jewish communal organizations.

A proud California native, Taylor earned her B.A. in Psychology from Sonoma State University, and upon graduation, she started her career in the Hillel movement at Santa Barbara Hillel. Outside of work, Taylor enjoys hiking Arizona’s trails and exploring local coffee shops and farmers' markets with her husband, Zach.

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rabbi Aviva Funke (she/her)
​campus rabbi, director of Education and Wellbeing

Rabbi Aviva has come to ASU Hillel with a deep love for helping people make meaning, ask big questions, and feel at home in Jewish tradition.

She grew up in Scottsdale and graduated from ASU, then spent years in Los Angeles where she was ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and led soulful, music-infused Jewish experiences across the country. Most recently, she served as Principal of Hebrew High and Associate Director of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Phoenix.
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Rabbi Aviva is passionate about creating open, empowering spaces where students can explore identity, build confident Jewish lives, and foster allyship and understanding—on campus, in the Jewish world, and across faiths.

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Shira Khotim (She/Her)
Director of Student Impact

Shira is a Phoenix native who studied Rehabilitative Services and Special Education at the University of Arizona where she graduated in Spring 2021. At UA, Shira worked as a resident assistant, volunteered with Project Sunshine (a global organization that works with children's hospitals), and interned with adults who have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. 
 
Post graduation she moved to Netanya, Israel for a year to help teach English in an elementary school to third through sixth graders. During the second half of her year in Israel, Shira participated in a Masa - Hillel Fellowship where she realized that she wanted to pursue career opportunities with Hillel upon completion of the program. 
 
Shira is passionate about the Jewish community as she grew up going to Camp Stein in Prescott, AZ. During her free time, you can find her hiking, learning more about photography and traveling. As the Director of Student Impact, Shira focuses on student impact strategy, leadership opportunities and developing Jewish life on the ASU campuses. 

​​[email protected]

Aaron goldschmidt (He/Him)
Development Specialist

Aaron, a native of the Phoenix area, graduated from Arizona State University in the spring of 2023 with dual degrees in Supply Chain Management and Business Sustainability, along with a certification in Applied Business Data Analytics. During his time at ASU, he was actively involved with ASU Hillel as a Development Intern and a member of the student board.

Following graduation, Aaron relocated to Rishon Lezion, Israel, to teach English through the Masa Fellowship Program. His experiences in Israel, particularly during a period of conflict, inspired him to return and contribute to an organization that has been a cornerstone of his Jewish journey.

In his free time, Aaron loves being outdoors, cooking, and all things football. He cherishes his summers spent at Camp Stein in Prescott and remains deeply connected to his local Jewish community.
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Vita Krivyakova​ (She/Her)
Jewish Agency Israel Fellow

Vita was born and raised in Siberia, which is in central Russia. At the age of 13, she became aware of her Jewish identity, which was unknown to her, due to the long history of antisemitism in Russia. Since then, she has actively participated in Jewish Agency overnight camps, and in 2009, she became a consistent counselor and project leader with the Jewish Agency. Vita has worked in Jewish overnight camps and other projects across Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and the United States.

In 2017, Vita made Aliyah to Israel through the Masa program “Special Project,” where she studied special education at Gordon College in Haifa. She learned Hebrew from scratch, which enables her to assist those who wish to learn the language.

Vita holds a bachelor's degree in Math and Economics but has been passionate about nonprofit work and informal education for many years. She worked as a teenage coordinator in a youth village in northern Israel for four years, leading a group of teenagers who made Aliyah without their families and supported them throughout their high school years.

Vita enjoys baking bread from her own sourdough starter, growing her own vegetables, and living a Kibbutz life surrounded by a warm community. She is married to her husband Yogev and plans to study Psychology at Haifa University after her shlihut at ASU Hillel.

She is excited to meet as many students as possible, learn their stories, and provide support in any way needed. Vita enjoys respectful conversations, exploring and delving into different subjects, embracing challenges, and truly believes in the coexistence of humankind.

She is also happy to have fun, listen to good music, travel, hike, and learn new things about the world we live in.

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Hannah Danzig (She/Her)
IACT and Community Engagement Specialist

Hannah was born in Scottsdale but have lived in Michigan, California, Spain, and most recently, Israel, where she earned a degree in Sustainability and Government with a minor in Public Diplomacy. Hannah's hobbies include baking, pilates and fashion, and she is excited to bring her experiences to programming at Hillel at ASU.

Hannah is the IACT Birthright Israel & Community Engagement Coordinator, and she is so excited to share her love for Israel and help students find their place at Hillel.

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Jake Cohen (He/him)
Springboard Innovation Fellow

Jake is a Scottsdale native who studied Museology, Humanities, and Parks & Recreation Management at Northern Arizona University. While at NAU, he worked with the Arizona State Parks & Trails Association during the academic year and spent summers at Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps. In addition to his work in public history, tourism, and experiential Jewish education, Jake has experience in professional sports and as a backpacking guide. In his free time, he enjoys supporting local sports teams, playing golf and other sports, and exploring museums, historical sites, and parks.​

Now, Jake joins the Hillel team as the Springboard Innovation Fellow and is excited to meet Arizona State University students.

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Gabriela MArquis (They/she)
Campus marketing and Development Manager

Gabriela Marquis joined ASU Hillel in 2025 as our Marketing and Development Manager. In this role, they spearhead grassroots campaigns and tell the stories of our incredible students. Gabriela is from Spokane, Washington where they went to school at Gonzaga University, graduating with a BA in Creative Writing, English Literature, and Spanish. After graduation, Gabriela worked at Gonzaga University in Student Affairs before joining Hillel International’s Communication and Marketing team where they work with three campus Hillels including ASU.

​Gabriela currently lives in Seattle, Washington with their husband and chiweenie, Babka. 

Barton Lee, Rabbi Emeritus Z"L

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Rabbi Barton Lee came to Hillel at ASU in 1972 and served as Executive Director for 42 years. He studied at Stanford, Hebrew University, and the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati where he earned a doctorate. A native of Texas who celebrated Texas Independence day with students, he loved the desert, the Grand Canyon, ASU students, classical concerts, Israel, politics and sports. But most of all, Rabbi Lee loved ASU students, schmoozing with them, helping with problems, or studying Torah as it relates to our lives.

Rabbi Lee ​impacted countless students in his 42 years at ASU Hillel. We miss him greatly. If you would like to submit a tribute to be shared with his family, please click here to do so.