Name: Avi Shmidman
Bio: Dr. Avi Shmidman is a Senior Lecturer in the Hebrew Literature department at Bar-Ilan University, and the head of research and development at DICTA: The Israel Center for Text Analysis. His publications focus upon: liturgical piyyutim from the Cairo Genizah; the textual development of birkat ha-mazon; the writings of S. Y. Agnon; and algorithms for computational processing of Hebrew texts.
Website: http://alhanisim.blogspot.com/
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/avi-shmidman
Name: Yitzchak Etshalom
Bio: Rav Yitzchak Etshalom was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended Yeshivat Ḳerem b'Yavneh, Rabbi Isaac Elhanan Theological Seminary and Yeshivat Har Etzion before receiving semikhah from the Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim, Rabbi Itzhak Kolitz. A Los Angeles based Jewish educator since 1985, he launched the Beit Midrash program at YULA Girls High School as well as opening the Beit Midrash at Shalhevet, where he currently serves as Rosh Beit Midrash. Rav Etshalom directs the Tanakh Masters Program at YULA Boys’ High School. He lectures annually at the “Ymei Iyyun” Tanakh Seminar at Herzog College and he teaches Daf Yomi and a popular Navi series at the Young Israel of Century City and through his podcasts on Daf Yomi. His critically acclaimed series “Between the Lines of the Bible” is a methodological guide to the study of Tanakh. His Tanakh podcasts are also available at yutorah.org and at ou.org. He currently writes a weekly lecture for Yeshivat Har Etzion's Virtual Beit Midrash on the book of Amos which will be published as part of the Koren Maggid Studies in Tanakh. Rabbi Etshalom lives in Los Angeles with his wife Stefanie and their 5 children.
Website: http://www.etshalom.com
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/yitzchak-etshalom
