Pinchas Polonsky (, born 11 February 1958) is a Russian-Israeli Jewish-religious philosopher, researcher, and educator active among the Russian-speaking Jewish community. He has written original books and a number of translations of works on Judaism. During his underground activities in Moscow (1977–1987), he taught Judaism and was one of the founders of Machanaim. He lives in Israel, is an activist in the process of the modernization of Judaism and is a researcher on the topics of the late Rav Kook. Polonsky is the author of a commentary on the Torah under the title "Bible Dynamics". Dr. Polonsky initiated EJWiki, an academic encyclopedia on Jewish and Israeli topics. Biography Born 1958 in Moscow into a family of secular assimilated Jews, he attended Special Math School No. 7 with a focus on math and physics. Upon graduating in 1975 a decision to leave the Soviet Union and move to Israel took shape. He began to study Hebrew in a clandestine group, and then subsequently Torah and Judaism. Between 1975 and 1980 Polonsky studied mathematics at the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute. Starting in 1979 Polonsky became one of the founders of a clandestine network for the study of Torah in Moscow. He was involved in Samizdat, publishing (through photocopying) guides for observing Judaism and maintaining a Jewish lifestyle, including a series of books on Jewish holiday observance and Torah commentaries. After applying for immigration to Israel, Polonsky became a refusenik for 7 years and finally immigrated to Israel in 1987 at the onset of the Perestroika. He has been living in Beit El since 1991. Education and academic work 1975: Masters Degree in Mathematics and Education, Moscow State Pedagogical Institute. 1987: one of the initiators in the founding of the Israeli branch of Machanaim; remained a faculty member and editor-in-chief until 2012. 1989–1990: attended Yeshiva "Machon Harry Fischel" in Jerusalem. 1994–1997: attended Yeshiva Beit Morasha, Jerusalem, majoring in Jewish philosophy. 1995–1999: attended Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, faculty of Jewish studies; received an MA in Talmudic Studies. In 2002 Polonsky obtained a PhD in Sociology of Religion. His thesis was: "Sociological Concepts in R. Kook's Teachings". 1991–2012: taught at the Bar-Ilan University. 2012–2013: Senior Fellow and Assistant Professor at Ariel University in the West Bank. Series of prayer books with commentaries This initiative launched by Pinchas Polonsky began with an underground edition of the Pesach Haggadah with commentaries in the 1980s in Moscow.