Daniel Wiseman is in Vancouver for the summer, after which he will be returning to Israel to continue studying at Yeshivat Darche Noam / Shapell’s in Jerusalem. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in sociology. He has a passion for Judaism (of the traditional sort), art and design, social and cultural study, and technology. He dabbles in graphic design, video production, photography, web design, as well as traditional artistic mediums. He is very interested in branding and visual communication. He has recently become interested in personal finance and investing. He is currently teaching himself how to read financial statements. He is a Mac user and is a big fan of the platform, though he tries not to be religious about his computing. He is also interested in open source technologies and methodologies.

He is committed to observant Halachic Torah Judaism (aka “Orthodox” Judaism) and within this world he leans toward a “centrist” orientation that seeks to confront the challenges of contemporary life within the framework of the Halacha while recognizing the tremendous need for “insulation” (though perhaps not “isolation”) in a world that is rapidly embracing social values that are foreign to authentic Jewish values and precepts. He is a fascinated by the theological essays of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (notably The Lonely Man of Faith) and very much enjoys a conceptual meta-analysis of Halacha.

His secular academic interests include demography and sociology, especially dealing with Jewish communal issues,urban geography and how public spaces are used in a social context, Jewish history, the history and philosophy of science, as well as education, and marketing and branding (especially the approaches of Al Ries and Marty Neumeier). His politics vary by issue.

He’ll read anything by Ken Follett or Daniel Silva, and enjoys action, drama, and sci-fi films and television.

While studying at UBC, Daniel Wiseman worked as the director of media at Northwest NCSY, the Northwest regional office of the Jewish youth outreach organization NCSY, the youth arm of the Orthodox Union, located in Congregation Schara Tzedeck, the shul that he loves. He has also been involved with other aspects of Jewish communal life in Vancouver.

He can be contacted at