Gabriel Birnbaum is an Israeli linguist, specializing in Mishnaic Hebrew, and a prayer leader.
He holds a BA in Hebrew language and English linguistics from Bar-Ilan University, and a Master’s degree from Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, where he served as a community Rabbi. His PhD concerns the language of the sages in the Mishnah.
He is currently a senior researcher at the Historical Dictionary Project at the Academy of the Hebrew Language in Jerusalem.
Birnbaum’s main cantorial influences are Yossele Rosenblatt and Leib Glantz. He is fond of the traditional Ashkenazi nusach, especially that of the High Holidays, and is adamant in preserving it in the synagogues where he prays, both as a leader and as a congregant.
He speaks fluent English, Hebrew, Hungarian and a good amount of Yiddish.
