Dr. Esther S. Friedman is a Research Associate at the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University and Principal of OMEC Consulting, where she works with schools, foundations, and educational organizations on research, evaluation, curriculum design, and educational improvement. She recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Consortium for Applied Studies in Jewish Education (CASJE) at George Washington University.

Dr. Friedman earned her PhD in Education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prior to her work in research and higher education, she served as a Tanakh teacher, department chair, and teacher educator in Jewish day schools.

Her research explores teacher development and transformation, educator identity, student voice, belonging, and professional learning across Jewish educational settings. Much of her work examines how educators navigate ideological difference, how encounters with students can reshape teachers’ beliefs and practices, and how barriers to professional growth can be overcome through inquiry, reflection, and meaningful engagement with learners. Her scholarship has examined Orthodox teachers working in non-Orthodox schools, students’ experiences in congregational education, and the ways listening closely to learners can generate change for both students and educators.

Dr. Friedman’s work has appeared in leading journals in Jewish education, and she regularly presents to both academic and practitioner audiences. She serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of Jewish Education and is particularly interested in helping educators use inquiry, reflection, and evidence to support meaningful professional growth and educational change.