Matthew Nouriel

Director of Community Engagement

Matthew Nouriel is the Director of Community Engagement at JIMENA: Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa, and has been with the organization since 2022. Based in Los Angeles, Matthew builds relationships between JIMENA and the communities it serves, particularly in Southern California. He also manages JIMENA's communications, including its social media and newsletter, helping bring the history and present day experiences of Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews to wider audiences.

Matthew is of Iranian Jewish heritage, and that background shapes much of his work. He writes and creates content on Iranian Jewish history, antisemitism, LGBT inclusion in Jewish and Middle Eastern communities, and the relationship between Iranians and Jews, including support for a free Iran. His content reaches a combined following of more than 180,000 across Instagram, X, TikTok, Threads, and Facebook, and he speaks regularly on panels and at community events across North America.

Before joining JIMENA, Matthew spent six years at YouTube as an event producer with YouTube Spaces. He has held leadership roles with and partnered with StandWithUs, JDC Entwine, JQ International, The Aguda, and the Tel Aviv Institute, where he served as a digital producer.

In 2021, Matthew received the TrailBlazer Award at JQ International's annual Impact Awards. He has also received the Jewish Education Project's Shine a Light on Antisemitism Civic Courage Award and has been recognized for his activism by organizations including WIZO and the Combat Antisemitism Movement. His writing has appeared in JNS, The Forward, the Jewish Journal, and Hey Alma, and he has been featured in Tehran Magazine, the Algemeiner, and the Jerusalem Post.

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matthew@jimena.org@matthewnourielmatthewnouriel