“Unpacking Israeli History,” a popular podcast from OpenDor Media that’s hosted by self-confessed history nerd Dr. Noam Weissman, is making the last stop on its 2025 roadshow at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles on Wednesday, November 12. The live podcast will feature Weissman in conversation with renowned intelligence and terrorism expert Ronen Bergman, an Israeli investigative journalist, author of “Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations,” and a staff writer for The New York Times. Weissman and Bergman will be unpacking some of the biggest intelligence successes – and failures – in Israel’s history.
“Ronen Bergman is one of the world’s leading authorities on Israeli intelligence: a Pulitzer Prize winner, bestselling author, and an investigative journalist with an unparalleled network of sources inside Israel’s security establishment,” said Weissman. “His work has helped shape how people understand Israel’s moral, political, and strategic choices.”
OpenDor Media is a Jewish media organization that produces podcasts, videos, educational content, and social media, including the Unpacked website and Instagram, which explain Jewish and Israeli topics to a younger audience. This year, it took “Unpacking Israeli History,” its flagship podcast, on the road, creating live sold-out events in Chicago with Michael Oren and in New York with Dan Senor.
According to Weissman, who is also OpenDor Media’s senior vice president and head of content, the podcast helps listeners learn the Jewish story and history and understand what is going on beyond the headlines and polarization.
“We invite our audience to thoughtfully engage with the moments, ideas, and people that have shaped modern Israel and the Jewish experience,” he said. “If we can help people feel more connected, more curious, and more compassionate through that process, that’s the real win. And what we’ve found is that people find this approach quite refreshing.”
“We invite our audience to thoughtfully engage with the moments, ideas, and people that have shaped modern Israel and the Jewish experience.” – Noam Weissman
For Weissman, the tour stop in LA is a homecoming. He was formerly principal at Shalhevet High School, he earned his doctorate at USC, and he and his wife Raizie had their first three kids here.
“LA has played a big role in shaping who I am as an educator and storyteller. I always loved LA’s incredible blend of creativity, curiosity, and Jewish diversity. It’s a city that loves stories and embraces complexity, which is exactly what Unpacking Israeli History is about. After amazing sold-out shows in Chicago and New York, it felt only right to bring the live experience here, to a community that has meant so much to me personally and professionally.”
For those who listen to “Unpacking Israeli History” and attend the upcoming Sinai Temple event, Weissman aims to give them a more nuanced look at the important topics that impact the Jewish community.
“I hope people leave inspired to think more deeply about the dilemmas and decisions that have defined Israel’s story and, by extension, the Jewish story,” he said. “I don’t want people to just put Israel in a neat little box. We won’t shy away from difficult questions; we’ll explore them with honesty, respect, and curiosity. My hope is that people walk out not with simple answers, but with a richer understanding of what makes Israel’s history and its present so compelling and so worth being part of.”
Tickets for “Unpacking Israeli History” can be purchased at https://unpacked.bio/04c174. Use UIH20Social for a 20% off discount code.
