Dr. Noam Weissman:

Nuanced Jewish Education for the Digital Age

About Noam

Dr. Noam Weissman, Executive Vice President of OpenDor Media, is a recognized thought leader on new paradigms in Jewish education to reach students inside and outside the classroom. Driven by a passion to inspire inquiry and to teach without being trapped in black and white world views, he is building models that acknowledge and accompany students on their journey to make sense of a complex Jewish world.

Noam develops and implements educational vision and strategy across all of our divisions and products. He is the founder of LaHaV, an educational initiative that provides content and technology for Jewish learning and teaching in schools and communities throughout the world. Prior to joining us at OpenDor Media, he served as the principal of Shalhevet High School. Noam completed his doctoral dissertation in Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California with a focus on curriculum design. He is married to Raizie Erreich and they are the proud parents of Eyal, Liana and Nissa.

Workshops, Panels and
Scholar-in-Residence Programs

Noam can work with you to create and facilitate workshops, seminars, webinars and scholar-in-residence programs on topics related to Jewish education, Jewish history and philosophy, Zionism and Israel. These programs promise engaging, enthusiastic, thought-provoking dialogue for audiences of all ages. Programs can be customized to meet your organization’s specific needs.

These are a few programs that are currently available for immediate booking.

The Israeli–Palestinian Context

The Israeli-Palestinian Context workshop navigates the challenging realities of being Jewish on university campuses by unpacking Israeli-Palestinian issues in a nuanced, balanced way. By exploring key aspects of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict and offering a clear framework for creating and maintaining a connection to Israel in a culture that often conflicts with that bond, the workshop stimulates participants to ask difficult questions and engage in intelligent and respectful dialogue.

Reimagining the Holocaust

This workshop introduces the human paradigms of the Holocaust, the place, the culture and the social landscapes and norms. Rather than telling stories about the people and how the Holocaust affected them, the series tells the stories of the human mosaic that defined, enabled, defied and resisted the Holocaust. By exploring the social and human contexts of the Shoah, participants will be motivated to ask difficult questions, feel the history and facts on a visceral level and be inspired to create a world that will not let a Holocaust happen again.

The Power of Judaism

This workshop illustrates how Judaism’s teachings are relevant in all walks of life and invites young people to explore where their timeless questions meet timeless Jewish tradition. Based on the teaching of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, z”l, the workshop introduces participants to what Judaism has to say about the way we love, forgive, form relationships, build community, pursue happiness and speak to one another. No question is taboo and subjects are presented in a way that evokes emotion, inspires reflection and encourages honest inquiry.

Contact us for other workshops and speaking topics. ​

What others say

"Noam ignites a passion for learning in both teens and adults that is truly amazing to experience. When Noam speaks, teens and adults listen! He has it all! Noam speaks their language, and he engages teens with respect and with a genuine sense of caring about what they think. Noam’s presence is as powerful virtually as it is in person. Noam is a gifted educator and brings Jewish text to life, making the ancient new and relevant. I highly recommend Dr. Noam Weissman as a facilitator on a wide range of Jewish topics. His creativity is endless.”
Deborah L. Coltin
Executive Director, Lappin Foundation
"Thank you for bringing your energy and passion to Denver and sharing the vision of OpenDor Media. Noam, I am blown away by you and your Jewish journey, Kol Hakavod for all you do. I believe I mentioned the OpenDor Media revolution is the birthright of today, meeting this generation where we are...looking forward to our partnership."
Ben Sanders
Head of Jewish Student Connection, Denver
“I found the teachings of Dr. Noam Weissman to be both enriching and engaging. Every class pushed us to discover our own, unique, Jewish selves, and at the same time, fostered a growing sense of Jewish identity amongst myself and my peers. His work is an inspiration to us all and I feel grateful to have been in one of his classes. The most important thing one should know about Dr. Noam Weissman is his innate ability to listen. Sometimes teachers drone on for what feels like an eternity; not Noam. He takes the time to listen to each and every one of our thoughts and ideas, and most importantly, encourages us to expand upon them. ”
Carson Shore
Student, Boston
“I truly appreciate these moments where I get to learn and exchange. Noam, you have created a wonderful educational website that has taught me to question and review my knowledge. In my 25 years of teaching, this is the first place I like to go to to get ideas or to refresh. It is accessible and so inviting!”
Audrey Abessera
Educator, Bialik High School, Montreal

Join these institutions that have hosted Noam

American Jewish Committee • American Jewish University • Associated- Baltimore Jewish Federation  • BBYO  •  Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, Baltimore • Bialik High School, Montreal • Denver JCC • Ecole Maimonide, Montreal • Educating for Impact • Ethiopian National Project • Fuel for Truth • Hebrew Academy of Miami Beach • Hebrew Academy, Montreal • Hillel International • Israeli Ministry of Education • Jewish Agency for Israel • Jewish Colorado – Federation • Jewish Education Initiative Challenge • Jewish Education Project • Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles • Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York • Kohelet Foundation • Marianopolis College, Quebec • Makom Israel • Prizmah • Ramah Camps • Ramaz School, New York • Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation • Sephardic Community Alliance • South African Zionist Federation • StandWithUs •  Tampa JCCs and Federation • Young Israel of Hollywood, Ft. Lauderdale • Z3 Project • Zionist Federation of Australia

Host Noam

Noam is available for speaking engagements in all type of settings, including college campuses, synagogues, schools, Federations, haburot, JCCs and community centers.

We’re happy to help you plan and set up your event or speaking engagement.

Publications

As a community, we can afford to lift our gaze above the basic goals of survival and continuity. We ought to find ways to fulfill our potential and rise beyond the self through altruism and spirituality.

Read more >

izkor stickers. Standing at attention. The blaring of a siren. Reading the names of fallen soldiers.

For many schools, these are the time-honored hallmarks of every commemoration for Yom HaZikaron. And although each component is important, the question is: Are they enough?

Read more >

My mother, a clinical social worker in the Baltimore public school system, swears by the book “The Choice” by Edith Eva Eger. Eger survived the Holocaust, while her parents were sent to the gas chambers at Auschwitz. It’s her spirit of embracing the possible that makes Eger’s post-Holocaust psychology stand out. “We can choose what the horror teaches us,” Eger reminds us. “To become bitter in our grief and fear. Hostile. Paralyzed. Or to hold on to the childlike part of us, the lively and the curious part, the part that is innocent.”

No matter our struggles, challenges, insecurities or pain, we have the power of choice. The question is, what do we choose?

Read more >

The word “nuance” is more than a buzzword, but often it can feel like one. Nuance is the single most important element of a healthy educational experience. What is nuance, and how does using a nuanced approach to a difficult question lead to surprising outcomes and cause us to rethink our previously held assumptions? And why does it matter in education?

A nuanced approach breaks through echo chambers by exploring the wide contours of dispute that exist on any given issue. When we encounter diverse perspectives on any given issue, we gain a more complete understanding of the issue and people who are different from us.

Read more >

More than 70 years after its founding, Israel maintains its character as a land of immigrants, returning to the land of their ancestors. Despite the fact that most of the country’s residents have now been born on Israeli soil, it continues to be defined by the diversity of its people, with individual communities and segments of society existing within the greater mosaic of modern Israel.

It is for this reason that immigration, and the continual promotion of immigration, remains central to Israel’s national ethos.

Read more >

“What is the secret sauce that holds a family together?” “What are the ingredients that make some families effective, resilient and happy?” In the age of COVID-19, this is something all of us need to be thinking through.

These are the questions Bruce Feiler asked in a March 15, 2013, story in The New York Times. This was seven years ago, and they are even more relevant now.

Read more >

The 19th-century Danish Christian theologian Søren Kierkegaard lamented about many of his co-religionists that their form of religion was merely “Sunday Christianity” and, even more insultingly, a “religion of quiet hours in holy places.”

If we expand Kierkegaard’s criticism and think about it in terms of Judaism, how can we ensure a Jewish life is not confined to “quiet hours in holy places”? How do we ensure there is genuine simcha — or joy — in Judaism?

Read more >

Although recent Gallup poll estimates show that 95% of American Jews have a favorable view toward Israel, and that number is likely higher in Modern Orthodox circles, major opportunities for improvement exist in the way we educate our youth about Israel. While our educational opportunities often center around celebrating Israel’s achievements, advocating for Israel and encouraging aliyah, we tend to skip over discussions about dilemmas in Israel’s history and complex issues at play in Israeli society today. We do not invite the same level of debate and critical thinking that we might encourage in other Judaic and general studies classes. Read more >

PhD dissertation arguing for a new vision in learning about the modern State of Israel, focusing on Zionist identity development, narrative formation, and the ability to have a mature and loving relationship with Israel without sacrificing empathy.

USC Library >

Israel at war

Our voice is needed more than ever. Videos, podcasts, articles and social media that educate the world about Israel.

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