OpenDor Media and Jewish Chronicle join forces for Jewish storytelling

LONDON AND NEW YORK, October 21, 2026 — The Jewish Chronicle, the world’s oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper, and OpenDor Media, the global educational media company behind Unpacked, Unpacked for Educators, ConnectED, Amplified and the world’s No. 1 Jewish podcast network, today announced a strategic partnership to expand how Jewish journalism and storytelling reach and educate audiences across generations and continents.

The partnership brings together two organisations that have earned trust with Jewish and non-Jewish audiences in very different ways. The JC has spent over 180 years as the definitive record of British Jewish life. OpenDor Media has spent the past seven years building a direct line to 18-34 year olds, the demographic legacy Jewish media has struggled hardest to reach. That means over 27 million unique individuals engaging annually with their content, a creator network with over 10 million followers, and relationships with nearly 80% of all educators in non-Haredi Jewish schools worldwide (and a growing educator audience in non-Jewish schools too).

Together, the two organisations will combine the JC’s editorial authority with OpenDor’s digital reach and production capability — giving JC readers deeper access to video and podcast storytelling, and giving OpenDor’s largely US and Europe-based audience a stronger foothold in the UK specifically.

“Our readers have always trusted us to tell them what matters in Jewish life. This partnership brings that trust together with OpenDor Media’s reach and expertise in video, podcast, and long-form storytelling, formats where they’ve built something genuinely exceptional. It’s a real editorial collaboration, not a licensing deal, and that distinction matters to us.” said Jo Bucci, CEO of The Jewish Chronicle.

“The JC has spent 185 years earning the trust of British Jewry. We’ve spent more than a decade mastering video and audio storytelling for Jewish life. Neither of us needs to build what the other already has. This partnership means readers get both, serious journalism and the storytelling formats that bring history and identity to life for a generation raised on video and audio.” said Andrew Savage, CEO of OpenDor Media.

A partnership built on substance, not just visibility.

The collaboration is structured around concrete editorial exchange, not a branding arrangement:

– A shared content framework. OpenDor Media and the JC have mapped Unpacked’s video and podcast library against the JC’s core editorial themes so that JC readers can go deeper on the stories the JC is already covering, the moment they’re published. A dedicated “Learn More” feature is being built into the JC’s article pages to surface this content directly, with an automated content-matching capability in development to scale the approach over time.

– Cross-platform audio and video storytelling. Beyond text, the JC and OpenDor Media are exploring co-branded audio and video content — starting with a UK-focused Unpacked podcast episode currently in development, and discussions underway on a recurring co-branded series.

– A quarterly opinion column. OpenDor Media will contribute a regular column to the JC’s opinion pages, anchored by EVP Dr. Noam Weissman — host of the podcast Unpacking Israeli History and a leading voice on how Israel is taught and understood — who will write the majority of installments, with pieces from other senior OpenDor voices, as appropriate.

– Reciprocal reach. JC journalism will be featured to OpenDor Media’s international newsletter and social audience, while JC readers gain direct access to OpenDor Media’s flagship explainer and podcast content — a two-way exchange rather than a one-way content feed.

“The Jewish story is one of the most compelling stories there is, but it matters how it’s told. Too often it’s transmitted like an inheritance, something people receive without ever really claiming it, making it their own. This partnership, and the bridge it builds between our two platforms, is a chance to make that story something people actively choose to participate in.” said Dr. Noam Weissman, EVP of OpenDor Media.

The partnership comes at a moment both organisations describe as decisive for Jewish media. Since October 7th, antisemitism has risen sharply across the UK and US, and independent research shows a widening gap between young Jews’ appetite to understand their own history and identity and their access to the tools to do so.

The JC and OpenDor Media see this partnership as a direct response — pairing trusted journalism with the storytelling formats a new generation already relies on.

About The Jewish Chronicle

The Jewish Chronicle has been at the heart of the British Jewish community since 1841. On its first front page it declared it had done something that may “rescue us from the common fate of mankind — oblivion,” and promised to “make every Jew familiar with the condition of his fellow-Israelites.” It has kept that promise for more than 180 years, reporting on Jewish emancipation, the early years of modern Zionism, the Aliens’ Act of 1905 and the Balfour Declaration, Mosley’s blackshirts, the Holocaust and the birth of the State of Israel, institutional antisemitism in the Labour Party, and the October 7th attack and subsequent war — always bringing a distinctive Jewish point of view to its journalism. Today the JC’s journalism spans print, web, social media, podcasts, and events.

About OpenDor Media

OpenDor Media is a global educational media nonprofit for young Jews and their peers. Its Unpacked, Unpacked for Educators, ConnectED, and Amplified brands reach millions of people each year through podcasts, video, social and digital community content that deepen understanding of Israel, Judaism, and the Jewish experience. More than 16,000 educators also use OpenDor Media’s classroom resources to teach these topics to students worldwide. Founded in 2009, the organization has built its global audience by embracing complexity and fostering informed, authentic engagement.

Media Contacts

The Jewish Chronicle: Natalie Mayer – nmayer@thejc.com

OpenDor Media: Ryan Rabinowitz – rrabinowitz@opendormedia.org

Learn more at OpenDor Media