Michael Ettedgui is the Founding Director of Yaldeinu. In late 2007, following a fact-finding mission to various Jewish communities in Latin America, Mr. Ettedgui's already burgeoning desire to make Jewish education in the Diaspora accessible to more Jewish children prompted him to launch the institution in memory of his late grandfather.

In his capacity at Yaldeinu, Mr. Ettedgui has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. He continues to visit and liaise with needy Jewish communities throughout the world and develop programs of assistance to meet their unique and critical education needs. He has close personal and professional relationships with communal practitioners in various countries - an additional benefit which gives Yaldeinu distinctive perspectives on the projects it overseas.

Mr. Ettedgui has been intimately involved in communal affairs for many years. In addition to Yaldeinu, Mr. Ettedgui served as a consultant to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies where he developed some of the organization’s central programs and initiatives. In his capacity at the Wiesenthal Center, Mr. Ettedgui frequently addressed community forums, university students, educators and law enforcement on matters of tolerance and Holocaust education as well as security issues. He co-authored three volumes of Digital Terrorism & Hate, an annual report published by the Wiesenthal Center as well as Genocide: Humankind’s Perpetual Failure, a curriculum used in Ontario secondary schools.

Mr. Ettedgui's education includes a Bachelors degree in Political Science from York University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is currently completing his Juris Doctor at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Mr. Ettedgui is married to Sherri and has a young child named Paul.