UNPACKED, a division of OpenDor Media, has partnered with The Weisfeld Family Charitable Foundation to launch a new multimedia educational project titled Israel 101. This ten-part YouTube series will feature monthly episodes and accompanying articles about Israeli history, politics, and culture with the aim of helping young Jews build a stronger connection to Israel. In addition, Unpacked for Educators is developing an Israel 101 curriculum which will debut in Toronto schools in early 2025.
With Israel constantly in the news due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the need for understanding Israel as a dynamic, complex country and society has never been more relevant. Israel 101 will showcase the story of Israel through the lens of everyday life, love, and conflict that exists within Israeli society, and the complexity of the Israeli experience.
“Our goal for this project is to buck the global trend we are seeing all around us. Instead of indoctrination, misinformation, and one-sided perspectives, we want to provide a thoughtful, nuanced, and engaging viewpoint on the story of Israel so that viewers across the political and religious spectrums come out with a broad understanding of the Jewish state and have informed and thoughtful opinions,” says Noam Weissman, executive vice president of OpenDor Media. “Through this series, we hope that audiences will see Israel less as an abstract mythical place, and more as a real place, with stories of both struggle and heroism. We want people to see the ‘real Israel’.”
