Debuting June 29, “The Jewish Story Explained” connects young Jews with their heritage on their own terms, with engaging, nuanced content.
YouTube is a jungle of informative, factual content joined by conspiracy theories and hateful screeds, too often railing against Jews and Israel. The new video series, “The Jewish Story Explained,” which debuts June 29 from OpenDor Media, delivers engaging, informative and truthful content directly to young Jews. Parents and teachers can feel confident that the 42-episode series, recorded with high production value and input of trusted experts, will help the young generation connect more deeply with their heritage and history.
Based on “Letters to Auntie Fori” by renowned historian and best-selling author Martin Gilbert, the series retells stories we heard as children with greater complexity and sheds light on Biblical content and aspects of Jewish history that aren’t typically part of school curricula.
Unpacked, OpenDor Media’s youth brand, has drawn 2 million YouTube views from over 30 countries to date for its “History of Israel Explained” series. The new series, which builds upon that success, offers three seasons:
- Season one (15 episodes) is divided into two units: Ancient Israel (586 BCE) through the biblical era, focusing broadly on the themes of becoming a nation, dissent and unity, and the second Temple period through the Jewish dispersal (1000 CE), largely community building and transition from life in the Holy Land to the diasporic.
- Season two (15 episodes) addresses the Middle Ages, anti-Semitism, and assimilation, leading up to modernity.
- Season three (22 episodes) addresses the contemporary era, from the 20th century until today.
“This series helps our young adult audience connect to their story on their terms,” said Dina Rabhan, chief executive officer of OpenDor Media. “Our mission at Unpacked is to create educational, nuanced, and entertaining videos that unpack and clarify the complex issues surrounding Jewish identity, heritage and Zionism.”
Unpacked will release episodes every other Monday. The series’ trailer is available here.
About Unpacked
Unpacked is a leading global Jewish youth media brand that creates fast-paced, fact-filled and thought-provoking short videos to help high school and college students untangle the complexities of Israel and Judaism. It is a division of OpenDor Media (formerly Jerusalem U), the leading creator of Jewish film content since 2009. It brings Jewish ideas, values and stories to life through quality filmmaking, delivering them to a global audience of millions using today’s most popular and far-reaching digital platforms.
