Naomi Seidman is a distinguished academic whose career has focused on the intersection of Jewish culture, literature, gender studies, and translation. She currently holds the position of Chancellor Jackman Professor in the Arts at the University of Toronto. Previously, she was the Koret Professor of Jewish Culture and directed the Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Her academic achievements have been recognized with a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2016 and a National Jewish Book Award in 2019.

Seidman's background is deeply rooted in an Orthodox, Yiddish-speaking rabbinic family. Her father, Dr. Hillel Seidman, was a writer, notably the author of "Diary of the Warsaw Ghetto." Her parents met in a displaced persons camp after World War II. Raised in Boro Park, Brooklyn, and educated in Bais Yaakov schools, Seidman departed from Orthodox Judaism at the age of 18. She pursued higher education, earning a B.A. from Brooklyn College, an M.A. from UC Davis, and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.

Her scholarly contributions extensively explore Yiddish literature, the Haskalah period, and the Bais Yaakov movement, with a particular focus on Sarah Schenirer. Seidman's research also delves into the complexities of translation studies and the relationship between Judaism, sexuality, and gender. In 2022, she hosted a podcast exploring the experience of leaving Orthodox Judaism, and in 2024, she published "Translating the Jewish Freud: Psychoanalysis in Hebrew and Yiddish."

Naomi Seidman's academic career has established her as a prominent voice in the study of Jewish culture and thought. She currently serves as Chancellor Jackman Professor in the Arts at the University of Toronto. Prior to this appointment, she held significant positions at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where she was the Koret Professor of Jewish Culture and directed the Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies. Her contributions to the field have been acknowledged through prestigious awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2016 and a National Jewish Book Award in 2019, highlighting the impact and significance of her scholarly work.

Originating from an Orthodox, Yiddish-speaking rabbinic family, Seidman's personal journey has profoundly shaped her academic inquiry. After leaving Orthodoxy at eighteen, she pursued a rigorous academic path, culminating in a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. Her research interests are broad, encompassing the intricate connections between Judaism, literature, gender studies, translation, and sexuality. She has made substantial contributions to the understanding of Yiddish literature, the Haskalah movement, and the historical and cultural significance of the Bais Yaakov movement and its founder, Sarah Schenirer. Her recent work, "Translating the Jewish Freud: Psychoanalysis in Hebrew and Yiddish," further explores the cross-cultural transmission of ideas within Jewish intellectual traditions.