Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

Rabbi Douglas E. Krantz, born in Los Angeles in 1948, is a Reform movement rabbi in the United States and the founding rabbi of Congregation B’nai Yisrael in Armonk, New York. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1970 with an A.B. degree in History whereafter he entered rabbinic school and moved to Jerusalem, Israel for a year of rabbinic study at Hebrew Union College's Biblical and Archaeological School. In 1971 he returned to Los Angeles and continued his studies for the rabbinate at the HUC there. While in Los Angeles, he was the rabbinic intern at Leo Baeck Temple. In 1973 he received a Master of Arts Degree in Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union College. In 1974 he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio for his final year of study for the rabbinate. While in Cincinnati, Rabbi Krantz served as student rabbi, on a bi-weekly basis, for Temple Beth El in Anniston, Alabama. In June 1975 he was ordained a rabbi in Cincinnati. Upon ordination, Rabbi Krantz moved to New York City and served as the Assistant Rabbi of Temple Israel of the City of New York until 1978. That year he enrolled in a doctoral program at New York University and spent a year studying Jewish literature while serving as rabbi, on a part‑time basis, of Congregation Adas Emuno in Leonia, New Jersey. From 1975-1979 Rabbi Krantz served on the Executive Board of Breira—A Project of Concern in Israel-Diaspora Relations, a group advocating Palestinian rights. While in New York City he was active as a member of the Professional Education Committee on the Commission of Jewish Education of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and was a member of the Levites (a Manhattan Clergy Fellowship). In 1979 Rabbi Krantz moved to Armonk, New York to serve as rabbi for what soon became Congregation B’nai Yisrael. In 1981 he was appointed by the President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis to the Joint Commission on Social Action of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. In 1987 he was appointed Vice Chair of the Centennial Endowment Fund of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. In 1988 Rabbi Krantz was appointed Chair of the Justice and Peace Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Vice Chair of the Social Action Commission of Reform Judaism, and to the Domestic Affairs Committee of the Synagogue Council of America. In 1990 he agreed to serve on the Board of Directors of the American Friends of Israeli Civil Rights and Peace (now called Meretz USA). In 1991 Rabbi Krantz was Secretary of the Board of Trustees and in 1992 was elected President and Chair of the Board. In 2002 he was appointed to the Task Force on Assisted Suicide of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. From 2005 to 2008 Rabbi Krantz has served as one of the Directors of the American Friends of Israeli Firefighters. He was a part of the group of 14 that helped launched J Street, and still serves on its Rabbinic Advisory Council. Rabbi Krantz and his wife Joan participated in the 4th, 5th and 6th Forums for Interfaith Dialogue in Doha, Qatar. Rabbi Krantz presented papers at each of those conferences. In 2008 Rabbi Krantz was invited to participate on an ongoing basis in interfaith work at the Yale Divinity School. In 2009, he was elected to the Board of Trustees of the New York Theological Seminary. Rabbi Krantz was appointed to the faculty as an instructor in Rabbinics, and also lectures regularly on Judaism for groups at the Seminary. In 2005 he was appointed to the Ethics Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Following his retirement as Rabbi of Congregation B’nai Yisrael in 2013, Rabbi Krantz agreed to a five year commitment to serve as Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. In retirement he currently serves as an adjunct Professor at the University of Delaware teaching a course in Strategies for Academic Success, is a volunteer Escort at Planned Parenthood in Dover, Delaware, and is active in J Street work in Delaware.