Team

Jeff Polak

President / Co-Founder

Jeff Polak is President and Executive Director of the David & Janet Polak Foundation, where he has redefined what it means to lead with purpose in the Jewish world. Under his leadership, the Foundation has advanced innovative programs that strengthen Jewish identity, expand access to culture and education, and support transformative initiatives across Israel and the United States. Polak has spearheaded landmark projects that fuse history, art, and technology. He funded the full-scale digitization of David Ben-Gurion’s private archives, making Israel’s founding story accessible to scholars, students, and the public worldwide. In Los Angeles, he partnered with the Los Angeles Ballet to debut Memoryhouse, the first Jewish ballet commemorating six million lives lost in the Holocaust, merging music, movement, and memory into a deeply resonant artistic experience. He also launched AKLA, a high-energy, immersive fellowship that engages teens with Israeli innovation in cybersecurity, biotechnology, and the arts, now scaling nationwide. Beyond programmatic impact, Polak is a strategic investor and philanthropist. He has supported more than 50 leading institutions, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, FIDF, Technion, and Cedars-Sinai, and is advancing the use of Program-Related Investments to fund socially aligned ventures that strengthen the Jewish future. He also serves as Managing Director of Polak Investors, overseeing a diversified portfolio spanning equities, fixed income, and alternatives. Polak holds a BA in Economics and International Relations from USC and is a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®). His leadership extends across the Jewish and philanthropic landscape, including board and investment committee roles at the American Technion Society, Ben-Gurion University, FIDF, Cedars-Sinai, the Buckley School, and the Los Angeles Jewish Home. A dedicated marathoner, he approaches both life and work with discipline, focus, and a relentless commitment to impact.

Tonia Barber

Executive Director / Co-Founder

Tonia Barber is the Executive Director of AKLA, where she has transformed the fellowship into a nationally recognized model for experiential cultural education. Under her leadership, AKLA has pioneered programming that engages teens with Jewish heritage through technology, medicine, cinema, and global security, positioning the organization at the forefront of cultural innovation and social impact. With a career spanning the creative industries, cultural sector, and community building, Barber has advanced AKLA’s content through immersive media—including a Virtual Reality experience developed in partnership with Technion University—educational films, and live performance, most notably the premiere of Memoryhouse, the first Jewish ballet commemorating six million lives lost in the Holocaust. Prior to AKLA, Barber served as Executive Director of Dance Camera West, leading the internationally recognized festival and presenting work at top performing arts venues and museums across Los Angeles. Her own films have premiered at leading festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and the American Film Institute. Barber began her artistic career as a dancer, training on scholarship at the Joffrey Ballet and performing on Broadway. She holds a bachelor's degree in Performing Arts from St. Mary’s College and has since built a career leading creative initiatives across arts education, media, and cultural sectors.

Rebecca Webb

Programming Coordinator

Rebecca Webb is the Programming Coordinator at AKLA, where she plays a central role in designing and executing dynamic programs that engage teens with Jewish heritage. With deep roots in Jewish communities in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, Webb brings both personal connection and professional expertise to her work, fostering meaningful experiences for the next generation of Jewish leaders. Webb’s professional journey spans more than two decades in the automotive industry, where she built a reputation for excellence with major brands including Saab, Cadillac, GMC, and Mercedes-Benz. Known for her natural ability to connect with people, she developed skills in client engagement, relationship-building, and team collaboration that now inform her approach to programming and community leadership at AKLA. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Los Angeles, Webb faced early personal challenges that shaped her resilience and dedication. Today, she finds fulfillment in family, especially through her nieces and nephews, and brings that same care and commitment to her work nurturing young leaders. At AKLA, she continues her family’s legacy of community engagement while inspiring and supporting teens as they explore identity, culture, and purpose.

Advisory Board

Evan Schlessinger

Chair, Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles

Evan Schlessinger is chair of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. His past lay leadership roles include serving as chair of The Foundation’s Cutting Edge Grants Committee, member of the Jewish Funders Network’s Executive Committee, board chair of Jewish Family & Life Media, and founding member and past chair of the Los Angeles Jewish Venture Philanthropy Fund. Mr. Schlessinger is a nationally known marketing expert and president of the Springboard Company, a market research and consulting firm based in Los Angeles. His work has been featured in the national media including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Newsweek, CBS This Morning and the ABC Home Show.

David Suissa

President, Tribe Media / Jewish Journal

David Suissa is President of Tribe Media/Jewish Journal, where he has been writing a weekly column on the Jewish world since 2006. In 2015, he was awarded first prize for “Editorial Excellence” by the American Jewish Press Association. Prior to Tribe Media, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm named “Agency of the Year” by USA Today. He sold his company in 2006 to devote himself full time to his first passion: Israel and the Jewish world. David was born in Casablanca, Morocco, grew up in Montreal, and now lives in Los Angeles with his five children.

Rabbi David J. Wolpe

Senior Rabbi, Sinai Temple · Scholar in Residence, Maimonides Fund

David J. Wolpe taught for eight years at the University of Judaism and later served at JTS. A prolific author, his books include The Healer of Shattered Hearts, Why Be Jewish?, and Making Loss Matter. In 1997, he became senior rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, where he launched the popular Friday Night Live service and grew the congregation significantly. He is a prominent American rabbi, teacher, writer, and orator. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and raised in Philadelphia, he is the son of Rabbi Gerald Wolpe of Har Zion Congregation. He studied English literature at the University of Pennsylvania, with a year abroad at the University of Edinburgh, and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1987. Wolpe is currently the scholar in residence for the Maimonides Fund.

Jacki Karsh

Journalist · Founder, Karsh Fellowship for Journalism

Jacki Karsh is a six-time Emmy-nominated multimedia journalist and longtime reporter for LA36’s LA County Channel, covering civic, cultural, and humanitarian stories across Los Angeles. She has interviewed global leaders from Generals Stanley McChrystal and David Petraeus to Governor J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Eric Garcetti, and cultural icons like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mindy Kaling. Since October 7, Jacki has become a leading voice in Jewish media advocacy, contributing to major outlets including the Jewish Journal, JNS, and The Times of Israel. She has led over 70 panels and interviews on antisemitism, Israel, and media misinformation, speaking at forums such as the Milken Global Conference, AIPAC, and JFNA. Jacki founded the Karsh Fellowship for Journalism, training journalists to report on Jewish identity and Israel with accuracy and depth. She serves on several boards, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and OpenDor Media, and holds degrees from Columbia University and the Columbia Journalism School.

Allyson Simon

Philanthropist · New York

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Allyson Simon practiced transactional entertainment law related to film and television at various law firms and entertainment companies, including Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. Since moving to New York in 2004, Allyson has engaged in philanthropic endeavors connected to her new home, for instance, serving on committees and boards for UJA-Federation of New York and Westchester. Allyson raises funds and awareness as a committee member of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s New York and Westchester/Fairfield Chapters. Allyson also provides college and career preparedness mentorship to high school students through iMentor, an organization whose motto, “Every student deserves a champion,” resonates deeply with her.

Rabbi Lori Shapiro

Founder, Open Temple

Founder of Open Temple in Venice, CA, Rabbi Lori Shapiro is an unconventional rabbinate dedicated to reaching unaffiliated and intermarried families and seekers. Previously the Director of Jewish Life and Senior Consultant for Interfaith Relations and Outreach at the University of Southern California Hillel, Lori’s transdenominational rabbinate was informed by her studies at the American Jewish University, years living in Israel studying within an Orthodox Jewish framework and graduation from both the Academy for Jewish Religion/California (MA in Rabbinics) as well as the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (MA in Jewish Studies). Rabbi Lori and Open Temple began as a part of a national incubator supporting cutting edge and innovative Jewish programming mentored by Rabbis Without Borders and CLAL.

Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot

Temple Judea

Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot is best known for her joyful spirit, her soulful singing, and her passion for Jewish learning. As one of a handful of people in the nation who have been jointly ordained as Rabbi and invested as Cantor, she is dedicated to revitalizing worship and integrating the ancient sounds of Jewish tradition with contemporary music. Rabbi Cantor Wissot has served on the Executive Council of the Cantors Assembly, as well as the Board of Directors of Stand With Us. She is an active leader in the American Conference of Cantors, as well as the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Prior to joining the Temple Judea clergy team, Rabbi Cantor Wissot was cantor at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles and the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue in New York.

Robert Polak

Founder, CEO, and CIO of Anchor Bolt Capital

Robert Polak is the founder, CEO, and chief investment officer of Anchor Bolt Capital, a Chicago-based hedge fund specializing in industrial, transportation, and energy companies. Previously, he was a portfolio manager at Citadel Investment Group and held positions at Copper Arch Capital, NWQ Investment Management, and Salomon Brothers. Robert earned his MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in Economics from UCLA. He lives in Chicago with his daughter, Olivia. An active philanthropist, Robert serves on the Chicago and national boards of the Friends of the IDF and the American Technion Society. His contributions include the Robert Polak Sports and Recreation Center for the Golani Brigade and the Robert Polak Fund for Applied Research with Commercial Potential, supporting Technion PhD students in transforming innovation into impact.