Mishpacha (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Mishpacha is a weekly Orthodox
Jewish magazine published in Jerusalem; it was founded in 1987. Its name means "family" in Hebrew. The Hebrew edition is part newspaper
, but the English version is a magazine
. It reflects the various views of some parts of the Haredi
public in Israel and the rest of the world.
The Hebrew and English edition differ in content and style.
As a Jewish newspaper that claims to speak for the Orthodox sector and not owned or controlled by a certain political movement or sector, it follows the guidance of rabbinical advisors who take responsibility for its content.
stream of the Haredi world, but Hasidim
as well. In 2011, a widely publicized denouncement was made by Rabbi Nissim Karelitz
, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky
, Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
, and others, including Mizrahi Haredi Rabbi Yaakov Hillel as well as Hasidic rabbis from the Vizhnitz
, Zvhill, Sanz
, Erlau
and Boyan
movements. They alleged that Mishpacha distorts and blurs the Torah
world view, and that one must not bring these papers into their house.
Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz
referred to Mishpacha as being "false", not containing any benefit, and wreaking destruction on everything. After his death, Mishpacha claimed to have held an interview with his sons while they were sitting shiva
; this was publicly denied by them.
for ex-pupils of Carmel School, a Modern Orthodox
and Zionist Jewish day school.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Jewish magazine published in Jerusalem; it was founded in 1987. Its name means "family" in Hebrew. The Hebrew edition is part newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, but the English version is a magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
. It reflects the various views of some parts of the Haredi
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
public in Israel and the rest of the world.
The Hebrew and English edition differ in content and style.
Ownership and management
It is owned by Eliyahu Paley, a Yerushalmi, together with the backing of a group of investors, mostly non-orthodox.As a Jewish newspaper that claims to speak for the Orthodox sector and not owned or controlled by a certain political movement or sector, it follows the guidance of rabbinical advisors who take responsibility for its content.
Editors and writers
- Eliyahu Paley, CEO of Mishpacha Publishing Group, has a background in Torah learning, as well as in business. He studied full-time in the Hebron Yeshiva and kollel until the age of 26 when he initiated the Hebrew Mishpacha. Since 1990, he steadily developed Mishpacha from a small magazine to an international publication with a global readership. He lives with his family in Jerusalem.
- Rabbi Moshe Grylak, Editor-In-Chief of Mishpacha, combines his background in Torah study with decades of experience in writing and speaking in his work for Jewish outreachJewish outreachJewish outreach is a term with mixed support sometimes used to translate the Hebrew word kiruv or keruv . Judaism usually does not actively seek converts, although all denominations do accept those with a sincere commitment...
. Grylak learned in Kol Torah and the Ponovezher kollel, later teaching TorahTorahTorah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
in BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and in an Israeli HesderHesderHesder is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework...
yeshivah. For close to a decade, he penned a column in the secular paper MaarivMaarivMaariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
, presenting Torah ideals in a language and style targeted to the average Israeli. Grylak went on to found Yated Ne’eman and served as editor-in-chief for its first two years in print. In addition to writing over twenty sefarim on Judaism and Torah topics, he is also a novelist. For the past twelve years, he has served as editor-in-chief of Mishpacha. He lives with his family in Jerusalem. - Yosi Elitov, Assistant editor. He is a ChabadChabadChabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
Chasid whose upbringing as the son of a rabbi gave him experience reaching out to fellow Jews. - Binyamin Rose, News Editor and IDF veteran who served from 1995-2000. He is a Hareidi who graduated from Hebrew Theological CollegeHebrew Theological CollegeThe Hebrew Theological College, known as "Skokie Yeshiva," is a Yeshiva in Skokie, Illinois which also functions as a private university on campus. The primary focus of the Yeshiva is to teach Torah and Jewish traditions...
with a bachelor’s degree in TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic Studies and spent nearly a decade as a print and broadcast journalist, winning awards from the Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
for his news coverage. He then pursued a longtime interest in finance and turned it into a career, serving as an investment advisor at Sloymie Rubinoff in Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, for eight years. On moving to Israel with his family in July 1993, Rabbi Rose studied in kollelKollelA kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
and then spent three years as Project Manager for the Learn Torah Now public relations firm before joining Mishpacha in March 2004.
Opposition
The newspaper has repeatedly been widely denounced by prominent Haredi rabbis, primarily from the LithuanianLithuanian Jews
Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks are Jews with roots in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania:...
stream of the Haredi world, but Hasidim
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
as well. In 2011, a widely publicized denouncement was made by Rabbi Nissim Karelitz
Nissim Karelitz
Rabbi Nissim Karelitz is the chairman of the beis din tzedek of Bnei Brak.He is one of the most highly respected Orthodox rabbis in the world and one of the most important leaders of the Lithuanian Haredi world, together with Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv and Rabbi Shmuel Halevi Wosner.His beis din ...
, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky
Chaim Kanievsky
Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Kanievsky, , is an Israeli rabbi and posek. Kanievsky is considered a leading authority in Haredi Jewish society.-Biography:...
, Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
Yosef Shalom Elyashiv is a Haredi rabbi and posek who lives in Jerusalem, Israel.At the age of , Elyashiv is active and remains the paramount leader of both Israel and the Diaspora Lithuanian-Haredi community, and many Ashkenazi Jews regard him as the posek ha-dor, the contemporary leading...
, and others, including Mizrahi Haredi Rabbi Yaakov Hillel as well as Hasidic rabbis from the Vizhnitz
Vizhnitz (Hasidic dynasty)
Vizhnitz is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Hager. Vizhnitz is the Yiddish name of Vyzhnytsia, a village in present-day Ukraine.Followers of the rebbes of Vizhnitz are called Vizhnitzer chasidim....
, Zvhill, Sanz
Klausenburg (Hasidic dynasty)
Klausenburg , also known as Sanz-Klausenburg, is a Hasidic dynasty that originated in the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca , Romania....
, Erlau
Erlau (Hasidic dynasty)
Erlau , also spelled Erloy and Erloi, is a Hasidic dynasty named for the town of Eger, a Hungarian city situated between Miskolc and Pest. During the early Middle Ages the town was named Erlau by the German, Avar, and Slavonic tribes living there...
and Boyan
Boyan (Hasidic dynasty)
Boyan is a Hasidic dynasty named after the town of Boiany in the Ukraine. The Hasidut is presently headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel, with communities in Beitar Ilit, Bnei Brak, London, Antwerp, Brooklyn, and Monsey, New York.-First Boyaner Rebbe:...
movements. They alleged that Mishpacha distorts and blurs the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
world view, and that one must not bring these papers into their house.
Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz
Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz
Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz was a respected Haredi Lithuanian Torah leader and rosh yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, for over 70 years. He was a maggid shiur at Yeshivas Tiferes Tzion from 1940 to 2011 and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ponovezh L’Tzeirim from 1954 to 2009, raising thousands of students...
referred to Mishpacha as being "false", not containing any benefit, and wreaking destruction on everything. After his death, Mishpacha claimed to have held an interview with his sons while they were sitting shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
; this was publicly denied by them.
Additional magazine
Mishpacha is also the name of a magazine published in Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
for ex-pupils of Carmel School, a Modern Orthodox
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
and Zionist Jewish day school.
External links
- Mishpacha Homepage
- המשפחה הרביעית (HebrewHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
)