About Me
I am a Toronto-based Jewish educator with over 15 years working in Jewish day school settings. I have taught courses in Jewish history, Israeli history and culture, Jewish philosophy, biblical studies, and Jewish laws and customs.
I have taught about Israeli culture and society to students and adults in synagogues as a scholar in residence and have facilitated teacher-training sessions in Canada, America, and Australia. In recent years, I have also worked for a Jewish consulting firm and was one of the senior staff members at a Jewish summer camp.
I hold a PhD in Jewish Education from Toronto's York University where I also served as the university's first Wexner Fellow & Davidson Scholar. My doctoral research interrogated the intersection between Jewish education and arts-based learning and explored how students use visual and arts-based media to assume the role of biblical commentators.
Since completing my doctoral work, my research interests have evolved and I now primarily study Jewish and Israeli graphic novels and Israel education.
I am the author of four books about Jewish and Israeli comics and one co-edited volume (with Sivan Zakai) about teaching Israel. I also run an Instagram account where I post recent Israeli political cartoons and use them to explain aspects of contemporary Israeli society.
Outside of teaching, researching, and writing, I enjoy a good book, a cozy Kith hoodie, a Blue Jays baseball game, and spending time with my family.
Please check out the links on my page and if our research interests intersect or you are interested in hiring me to speak to your group, I'd love to hear from you!
- Matt
Adult Education & Professional Development
I have experience leading adult education classes and also facilitating professional development sessions for teachers in North America and Australia.
My adult education classes focus on contemporary Israeli society, culture, and politics and Jewish & Israeli comics, cartoons, and graphic novels.
With teachers, I have taught about using visual media in Israel education, Israel advocacy, methods of teaching Israeli history, and arts-based learning in Jewish education.
Sessions are interactive, participatory, visual, and engaging and can be done in person or online.
If you are interested in hiring me to speak to your group, please send me an email at matt.reingold@gmail.com
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Rachel Kest
Director - Jewish Education & Engagement (Rochester)
Matt Reingold is a brilliant scholar who has tremendous content knowledge of all things Israel. In an unflappable and unassuming way, Matt easily presents delicate information that is both inviting and accessible to all learners. He is easy to work with and will customize a program to fit your needs. I look forward to future partnerships with Matt.
Rabbanit Hadas Fruchter
Yeshivat Maharat, Mind the Gap Program
Matt brought a vibrant and exciting class to the seminar of Jewish Professionals I was running during the 2021 year on student-created biblical art and an exploration of how the creative process leads to new understandings of texts.He was so exciting to learn from and used many different modalities to engage the participants in the workshop - several of them walked away ignited and inspired towards new careers in the intersection of education and the arts. He was incredibly flexible and even joined us when he wasn't feeling well! Grateful to have had him as part of our program's learning journey.
Danna Livstone, Ed.
Adult Education Chair, Beth El Synagogue, East Windsor NJ
Over the course of a weekend, Matt spoke to us about Mizrachi identity, teaching Israel's complex narratives, and political cartoons featuring Srulik, a cartoon personification of Israel. He was engaging, funny, and very knowledgeable. He also provided our congregants with extensive resources for how to stay up on Israeli current events. I hope you get a chance to learn from Matt!
Alongside my co-editor Sivan Zakai, I have been on podcasts about Teaching Israel for Prizmah, The New Books Network, and The Mandel Center at Brandeis University. I recently participated in a webinar about Israel education after October 7 that was hosted by The Mandel Center at Brandeis University.
Podcasts & Digital Media
In June 2022, Reenvisioning Israel Through Political Cartoons was featured on New Books Network's Israel Studies podcast. My conversation with Akin Ajayi
can be listened to here.
I was invited to teach a class for the Valley Beit Midrash in July 2022 about how Israeli cartoonists crafted creative and novel interpretations of how to understand Jewish holidays in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. A video (including slides with the cartoons) can be watched here and an audio-only file can be listened to here.