Michael A. Shmidman is Dean Emeritus and Victor J. Selmanowitz Professor of Jewish History at Touro Graduate School of Jewish Studies, as well as Editor of Touro University Press.

Dr. Shmidman has been a member of Touro’s faculty and administration since 1981, when he was recruited to serve as the first director of the newly-established Graduate School of Jewish Studies, and served as Dean from 1986-2024. He earned his M.A. degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University. He was a Teaching Fellow at Harvard and taught at the University of Cincinnati and Yeshiva University prior to his appointment at Touro, and was a Fellow at the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 2013.

Dr. Shmidman has authored, co-authored, edited or co-edited numerous books and articles, including The Jewish Intellectual Tradition (co-authored with Dr. Alan Kadish) and a two-volume Hebrew textbook on Maimonides (with Prof. Isadore Twersky) entitled Law and Philosophy: Perspectives on Maimonides’ Teaching. He has lectured extensively in his areas of research, medieval Jewish history and Maimonidean studies, and often serves as a scholar-in-residence or speaker at synagogues and Jewish communal institutions. He served as Orthodox Rabbi of Harvard Hillel (1974-76), Rabbi of Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck (1998-2003), and as Editor of TRADITION: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought.