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Dr. Noam Weissman is the Senior Vice President and Head of Content at OpenDor Media, where he spearheads the educational vision and leads all content creation. Noam is the host of the podcast, Unpacking Israeli History, and leads a team of producers and educators for the Unpacked YouTube channel and the Unpacked for Educators website. By leveraging digital media, he and the OpenDor Media team envision a world in which Jewish and Israel content is accessible to anyone everywhere. Prior to joining OpenDor Media, Noam served as Principal of Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles. Noam earned his BA at Yeshiva University, majoring in history and earned his MS in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University’s Azrieli School of Jewish education. Most recently, he earned a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Southern California, with a focus on curriculum design. His dissertation, entitled “Approaching Israel Education,” argues 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. Noam is also the Founder and Director of LaHaV, a curriculum that enables teachers to collaborate across different disciplines and empowers students to find meaning in their Jewish learning. He is married to Raizie Erreich and they are the proud parents of three incredible children, Eyal, Liana and Nissa.
Rabbi Gideon Black is the Director of Professional Recruitment and Leadership Development for OU-JLIC, previously having served as the OU-JLIC Rabbi at New York University from 2011 to 2015. Gideon was born and raised in the UK and moved to New York in 2007 to pursue semicha at YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He began his academic career at the London School of Economics after which he received his law degree from University College London. Gideon has an MA in Jewish Philosophy from YU’s Bernard Revel Graduate School and recently completed the Developing Leaders Program at Columbia Business School. As part of his rabbinic training, Gideon worked in Charleston, SC and served as a rabbinic intern at Manhattan Jewish Experience and the Riverdale Jewish Center. In Israel, Gideon studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion and the YU Gruss Kollel. Gideon is married to Aliza, a Physician Assistant, and they are the proud parents of Judah, Natan and Maya.
Sharon Mazel a pregnancy/parenting expert and co-author of the bestselling What to Expect When You’re Expecting book series, is also an editor and writer for WhatToExpect.com and the WhatToExpect app. Mrs. Mazel’s articles have appeared in The Washington Post and many other publications. A former NBC, FOX, and WPIX television news producer, Sharon holds a Masters degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University.
She was also a Wexner Heritage Fellow. Sharon and her husband Jay are the proud parents of four daughters (and one son-in-law).
Dr. Jay A. Mazel, MD FHRS is a Cardiologist/ Electrophysiologist at Medstar Cardiology Associates & served as Director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Department at Medstar Washington Hospital Center in Washington DC. He received his specialty training at Yale-New Haven Hospital & won the ACC Young Investigators award for his research in cardiac arrhythmias. Dr. Mazel is co-author of the book Cardiology Emergencies. Dr. Mazel is the medical director of Lasko’s very successful New Paradigms in Medicine program for health care professionals, now in its 6th year.
