What Gives? The Jewish Philanthropy Podcast · Jewish Funders Network

Dr. Noam Weissman - Empowering the Next Generation Through Jewish Storytelling

·48 min·3 clips

Funders should ask whether they want affirmation or things that work.

1. What Gives? The Jewish Philanthropy Podcast episode centers on Dr. Noam Weissman and his work telling Israel’s story through Open Door Media. 2. Andres Focoidi hosts Weissman, who is Senior Vice President at Open Door Media and an educator-media producer focused on Israel and Jewish history. 3. The episode asks whether Jewish funding and education should aim for affirmation or for approaches that actually work with young people. 4. Weissman says he originally planned to attend law school, then deferred it, taught in Los Angeles, and eventually left law school for Jewish education. 5. He says an Asian graduate-school colleague, Kim Harabayashi, pointed him toward Israel as the biggest gap in Jewish education. 6. Open Door Media, he says, exists to teach the story of Israel, Zionism, and the broader Jewish story in a thoughtful and nuanced way. 7. He names the Unpacked YouTube channel, Today Unpacked, Unpacking Israeli History, Wondering Jews with Michal Beton, Unpacked for Educators, Amplified, and ConnectEd as parts of the platform. 8. Weissman says Unpacked has over 300,000 subscribers, Today Unpacked has 34,000 subscribers, and the podcast content has reached tens of millions of views. 9. He says ConnectEd has launched in 19 of the top schools in the country to teach Israel, Zionism, and anti-Semitism differently. 10. Weissman describes listeners as people who want “layers” in stories about the Altalena, German reparations, the Black Panthers, and other moments in Israeli history. 11. He says the audience often sends 40 to 50 emails a week and leaves thousands of reviews on Apple and Spotify. 12. Weissman argues that myth-and-fact messaging is too easy to find on Google and does not build the kind of understanding his audience wants. 13. He says he is not trying to “fight indoctrination with indoctrination,” and he rejects a defensive posture around Israel. 14. In his view, funders often choose programs that provide affirmation instead of programs that work with the intended audience. 15. He gives the example of showing Exodus and says Ben-Gurion called it “horrible literature, excellent propaganda.” 16. Weissman also says young people should be treated as subjects with agency, not objects to be instructed. 17. Andres presses the idea that people need skin in the game, and Weissman answers with the Lubavitcher Rebbe baseball story about not leaving in the seventh inning. 18. Weissman says the podcast format became intentional because storytelling and podcasting create intimacy, trust, and a stronger connection than short clips alone. 19. The tone is conversational, back-and-forth, and argument-driven, with both men using examples, studies, and personal stories. 20. People interested in Jewish education, Israel advocacy, and philanthropy strategy will get the most from it, while listeners wanting only simple talking points may skip it.

As heard by us

A clear argument for telling Israel's story in forms young people will actually hear.

This episode treats Jewish storytelling as a practical editorial and funding question, not just a slogan. Dr. Noam Weissman keeps pulling the focus back to audience, purpose, and the medium itself: if the goal is to shape how young Jews think and feel about Israel, then the…

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If you need a clearer way to think about Jewish storytelling and Israel education, start here.

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