“I grew up in a family that is very focused on being there for people as a career,”<\/span><\/i> explained Noam Weissman.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second of four children, Weissman had a long-standing example of community engagement and service to live up to. His father is a clinical psychologist, and his mother works in the inner city of Baltimore, Maryland. His brother, Chanan Weissman, serves as President Biden’s liaison to the Jewish community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Serving as a career is simply part of his family\u2019s life.<\/span><\/p>\n

That was not always his desire, however. Before discovering how much he loved education, Weissman wanted to become a corporate lawyer in Manhattan. Looking back, though, he sees that education was a much better fit.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We don\u2019t know where we\u2019re going. We have no idea. Then, we see the end of the story, and the different blocks start to make sense,”<\/span><\/i> he reflected.<\/span><\/h3>\n

For Weissman, education as a career path began to make sense when he saw its transformative power. He recalls teaching the Talmud to seventeen-year-olds. The class was discussing whether redemption or repentance comes first\u2014a subject theologians of many faiths have argued over for millennia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One student, who was not <\/span>“one of the cool kids,”<\/span><\/i> became passionate about the subject. She even got <\/span>“fiery,”<\/span><\/i> Weissman said, while studying the text and making connections with others. Soon, the whole class engaged and was learning. <\/span>“Passion is contagious,”<\/span><\/i> Weissman explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s one reason Weissman believes the concept of \u201chavruta\u201d is valuable. He calls it <\/span>\u201cone of the great contributions to society from the Jewish community. It is a magnificent feature of Jewish experience,” <\/span><\/i>he said with a smile.<\/span><\/p>\n

As he described it, havruta is a conversation that can sometimes be intense. <\/span>\u201cThe concept is two people studying together for the purpose of sharpening the other person\u2019s ideas in order to arrive at truth,\u201d<\/span><\/i> he clarified. It\u2019s not a marriage, but the relationship is intimate enough that breaking up with your havruta can be painful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The commitment to finding the truth is what unifies the partners, even when their views on a subject are widely divergent. It also teaches humility, the ability to listen, and forgiveness, which Weissman believes is lacking in a culture known for canceling one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Passionate disagreement should never come at the expense of empathy,”<\/span><\/i> he advised. <\/span>“There are three things that remove people from this world: jealousy, desire, and pride,”<\/span><\/i> he uttered first in Hebrew before translating it to English. <\/span>“You cannot think clearly when you are thinking in that way.”<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

That’s why Weisman\u2019s goal is to <\/span>“try to help elevate the conversation for the next generation.” <\/span><\/i>His work with OpenDor Media means making content that provokes thought and empathy based on Jewish faith.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a time when many believe ancient religions no longer have much to say to us, Weissman begs to differ. <\/span>“It\u2019s our job to unearth how it\u2019s relevant today. When we don\u2019t do that, it\u2019s at our own expense,”<\/span><\/i> he said. <\/span><\/p>\n

While the technology may be different, today’s students wrestle with the same questions people have for thousands of years. They want to feel connected to others and valuable. <\/span>“The Jewish religion, the texts, and the Talmud have so much wisdom about these issues,”<\/span><\/i> Weissman said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unwilling to accept what the text says uncritically, he adds, <\/span>“Does it also say things that you might disagree with? Of course it does!”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Weissman hopes that podcasts he creates like <\/span>The Power Of _______<\/span><\/i> where he explores how Jewish faith is relevant today, will help younger generations in the same way his lecture affected the student mentioned above. And his show <\/span>Unpacking Israeli History<\/span><\/i> looks at controversial events in Israel\u2019s history form multiple angles.<\/span><\/p>\n

After seeing one of OpenDor\u2019s films, that student exclaimed, <\/span>“This is the first time I don’t feel alone!”\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

Even though he is making such a difference, Weissman doesn’t see his service as anything special. <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s just what you do. You\u2019re supposed to be there for other people\u2026 to be a good citizen of this world,” <\/span><\/i>he humbly reflected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Such is the power of new media without a gatekeeper. <\/span>\u201cThere is nobody, now, standing between people teaching ideas and people listening to ideas,” <\/span><\/i>he said. Weissman is able to speak directly to his audience without filters, a concept that he acknowledges is a power to be used wisely. <\/span>“Everything in the world is neutral. The question is, how do we use it to our benefit?”\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Weissman serves others with an eye toward making the world a better place for everyone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“<\/span>Education is the beating heart of the world,” <\/span><\/i>he said. <\/span>“It\u2019s really hard to overstress how important a good education is to living a meaningful knowledgeable life,”<\/span><\/i> he opined.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 2022 Issue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“I grew up in a family that is very focused on being there for people as a career,” explained Noam Weissman. The second of four children, Weissman had a long-standing example of community engagement and service to live up to. His father is a clinical psychologist, and his mother works in the inner city of Baltimore, Maryland. His brother, Chanan Weissman, serves as President Biden’s liaison to the Jewish community.\u00a0 Serving as a career is simply part of his family\u2019s life. That was not always his desire, however. Before discovering how much he loved education, Weissman wanted to become a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":12994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[3471,3470,3469,3472,2159,505,506,3473,3474],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n