Meet Our Staff

Ilana McAfoos, Assistant Director of Jewish Learning

Ilana is new to Gainesville but not to being involved in Jewish life. Having recently graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Master’s degree in Philosophy, Archeology with a specialization in Medieval Archaeology, Ilana’s background is rooted in Jewish engagement within her community. She has served as the first full-time Director of Programming for her home congregation at Congregation Adath Jeshurun in Elkins Park, PA. She has also served as a Youth Services Educator at Beth Shalom Congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and at the Hillel Jewish University Center in Pittsburgh worked as the Jewish Spirituality and Learning intern. 

Ilana is also no stranger to Jewish camp, having grown up going to Camp Ramah in the Poconos as the child of camper staffers. As she got older, she also became a staff member and served as the Director for the Theater Arts Program. Having participated in USY as a teen, Ilana recognizes the importance of being engaged in Jewish life from an early age and making programs engaging and fun. 

Hannah Gilman

I am so excited to be a part of Chavaya! I am currently a sophomore at the University of Florida and I'm pursuing a duel degree in Education Sciences and Behavior Analysis. I spent seven years as a camper at Ramah Darom and worked there for two summers as a counselor. In my free time, I enjoy playing and listening to music, swimming, and hanging out with my friends. I have a passion for learning and I can't wait to get to know everyone in the Chavaya community!

Ellie Solomon

Hi! My name is Ellie Solomon and I am a junior at University of Florida. I was born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida and always dreamed of following my two older sisters paths at UF. I love to work with kids from working at the Hebrew school to volunteering at Kids Count. For 10 summers, I attended URJ Camp Coleman in Georgia. This past summer, I studied abroad for 3 months in Madrid, Spain. I am double majoring in political science and history and hope to be a lawyer one day!