Biography
Mrs. Dina Schoonmaker holds a B.Ed in Tanach and English from Michlalah College, a master’s degree in Jewish history from Touro College. She has been a member of the Michlalah faculty for over 30 years and has an alumnae counseling hotline for Machal graduates. Mrs. Schoonmaker lectures internationally and gives vaadim for women, live and over zoom. At the OU, she has presented shiurim at Torah New York and the OU Women’s Initiative Weekend of Inspiration and Selichos Night Shiur and most recently has taught a class at the ALIT Summer Learning Program. Mrs. Schoonmaker resides in Yerushalayim with her husband, Rosh Yeshiva of Shapell’s/Yeshiva Darché Noam, and their children.
Shira Smiles is a Mechanechet at Darchei Bina seminary, and teaches at the OU center in Jerusalem, as well as many other adult venues.
Rabbanit Shani Taragin received her B.A. and M.A. in Tanakh and Talmud from Bar-Ilan University and is a graduate of Nishmat’s Keren Ariel Program for certification as a halachic advisor (yoetzet halacha) in issues of family purity law. She is the educational director of Matan Eshkolot – Tanakh teachers’ education program and of the Morot l’Halacha program in Matan Renana. Shani serves on the advisory committee for the Mizrachi Olami Shalhevet program for shlichim and lectures throughout Israel and North America on topics of Tanakh, Jewish Education, and Jewish Law. She is a senior lecturer in Matan and is the curriculum coordinator for the Matan – Bnei Akiva program (MTVA). In addition, Shani is a Ra’mit Tanakh in Midreshet Lindenbaum and teaches at Migdal Oz, the Women’s Beit Medrash of Efrat and Gush Etzion and in Matan Ramat Shiloh. Shani has presented many shiurim at the OU Women’s Initiative, including, introduction shiurim to each sefer of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Program, Weekend of Inspiration and Selichot Night Shiurim, ALIT Summer Learning Program courses in Israel and in the USA, and Rosh Chodesh shiurim. Together with her husband, Reuven, she serves as Rosh Beit Medrash for the Beit Medrash Program in Machaneh Moshava Pennsylvania during the summer and as Educational Director of Mizrachi Olami-RZA. Shani lives with her family in Alon Shvut, Gush Etzion-Israel.