Mishpacha

Mishpacha
Categories News magazine
Frequency Weekly
Circulation Circa 50,000[1]
Publisher The Mishpacha Group
Founder Eliyahu Paley
Year founded 1984
Based in Israel, United States
Language English, Hebrew
Website http://www.mishpacha.com/
OCLC number 57819059

Mishpacha (Hebrew: משפחה‎, "Family") is the flagship publication of The Mishpacha Group, the most widely distributed magazine brand in the Orthodox Jewish world.[2][3] The brand produces magazines both in English and in Hebrew as well as several auxiliary publications and products, reaching up to half a million readers across the globe on a weekly basis.

The weekly English magazine package includes titular flagship publication Mishpacha as well as women's magazine Family First, food section Family Table, and youth magazine Mishpacha Junior/TeenPages. Expanded holiday editions include Calligraphy, a journal of curated fiction, scholarly journal Kolmus, and various additions covering special interest themes.

The weekly Hebrew magazine package includes the flagship Hebrew Mishpacha magazine and newspaper, as well as women's magazine Betoch HaMishpacha and children's magazine Yeladim. The package expands on a monthly basis with the addition of the Hebrew Kolmus and culinary magazine Te'imot, as well as occasional topic-specific special additions.

History

The Mishpacha Publishing Group was founded in 1984 with the publication of the original Hebrew Mishpacha magazine. Publisher and CEO Eli Paley teamed with Rabbi Moshe Grylak towards the goal of producing a magazine that would serve as a conduit for the exchange of ideas and values between the varying streams within Jewish orthodoxy,[4] among them the Hasidic, Yeshivish, Sephardic, and Modern Orthodox communities. With no other weekly or monthly magazines geared towards Orthodox Jewish readership, Mishpacha quickly gained popularity, in effect launching the Jewish Orthodox magazine industry.[5]

The English Mishpacha launched in 2004 with a weekly package including the flagship Mishpacha Magazine and Mishpacha Junior. Mishpacha was the first full-color weekly magazine targeting the Anglo-Orthodox population worldwide, with the standalone children's magazine also serving as an innovation. Family First, introduced to the package in 2005, was also the first of its kind, a full-color weekly magazine by and for Jewish women.[6]

Mishpacha's publications became known for their willingness to respectfully discuss current issues challenging Orthodox Jewish communities in the hope that public discussion would decrease stigma, raise awareness, and nurture solutions.[7][8] For example, some attribute the significant increase in mental health awareness and mental health services access over the past decade amongst Orthodox Jewish populations to the public dialogue stimulated by Mishpacha magazines and later imitator publications.[9][10] The magazine adheres to a strict interpretation of Tzniut that prohibits photographs of women on its pages and website.

Haaretz, the newspaper of Israel's secular left, describes Mishpacha as one of the "most powerful" newspapers in the Haredi community.[11]

Management, staff, and contributors

Mishpacha's English-speaking division has offices in Israel, the United States, and Europe. Senior management staff comprises publisher and CEO Eli Paley, North American CEO Avi Lazar, and COO Naomi Shaingarten.

Senior editorial staff includes Managing Editor Shoshana Friedman, News Editor Binyamin Rose, Family First Editor Bassi Gruen, Assistant Managing Editor Gershon Burstyn, Associate Editors Rachel Ginsberg and Rachel Bachrach, Food Editor Chanie Nayman, Mishpacha Junior Editor Libby T., and TeenPages Editor Daniella Thaler. Graphic production is managed by Creative Director Menachem Weinreb.

The magazines feature weekly op-eds by Rabbi Moshe Grylak, Yonoson Rosenblum, and Eytan Kobre, as well as regular features and columns by Binyamin Rose, Yisroel Besser, Barbara Bensoussan, Riva Pomerantz, Rachel Bachrach, Rachel Ginsberg, Sarah Chana Radcliffe M. Ed. C. Psych, C. Saphir, Esther Sender, and others. Freelance submissions are also welcomed.

Distribution

Mishpacha in English reaches over 50,000 Orthodox homes every week, with sales increasing by some 30% during holiday seasons. A typical Orthodox household numbers an average of 4-6 readers, and due to lower access to electronic media in Orthodox Jewish circles,[1] Mishpacha magazines' shelf life increases considerably by passing from home to home an estimated 3-5 times. Primary distribution areas include the United States, Canada, England, Belgium, South Africa, Australia and Israel.

Other uses

References

External links

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