Mishpacha vs. Family First

Mishpacha’s target audience is the religious left-of-center.

And then there are huge arguments over what teens should read.

Well I’m a teen, and I read every part of every jewish magazine. Besides for several boring articles, of course. I find that teen magazines are hopelessly childish, and are meant for ten year olds more than fifteen year olds.

Unless I’m unusually mature?

im a teen, and i read “grown up” (for lack of a better word) magazines and books, and i enjoy them more than YA books and magazines (though all jewish teen magazines are for girls, and i am a boy, so i dont really read teen magazines)

It’s hard to say which is more popular

when you can’t buy one without the other.

Lior was talking nonsense, but BP Yidd answered the

question accurately as far as his answer went.

Hashkafa-wise, I don’t know if “centrists” would

feel entirely comfortable with Mishpacha/FF, but anyone more

to the right certainly would (unless they were some kind of extremist).

Lior: ?!?!?!?!?!?

Letakein Girl: Teen magazines are ridiculous- worse even than the kids’ ones (because at least the kids’ ones don’t make any pretenses at being targeted at a certain age). I started getting Mishpacha in 2005- so I was nine- and I read it cover to cover. When they started with Family First, I read that too.

Now I sometimes feel like I’ve grown out of it…

Anyway, in general, Mishpacha is for the whole family and Family First is meant for women. My dad actually thinks that half the time the really interesting articles are in Family First, but for what it’s worth, that’s what the publishers have in mind.

This is deteriorating into a discussion of the hashkafas of various magazines (why am I not surprised). I think the OP is asking which has a wider readership and who that readership (demographics) is

I don’t think mishpacha is left of center on religious issues . On which issue are they left of center? I think they’re right and I’m very orthodox… If there’s such a concept

I read der yidd usually

I don’t think it’s any worse for teenage boys to read magazines than it is for adult men.

I don’t think that seriously frum people who have a job are left of center at all

All the people in the kiryas Yoel kollel don’t live there?

PAA: I haven’t noticed a significant differentiation in the ideological leanings of the editorials versus the articles (or “news”) in each magazine but comparing the overall, though generally (but not always) very subtly expressed, weltanschauung of each of the periodicals I’ve found a noticeably greater left-leaning outlook in Ami than in Mishpacha. And without doubt these prejudices are visible on the editorials as well as the feature articles and news coverage present, respectfully, in each publication. But both journals are to the left of the moderate yeshiva world. (Defining moderate as being the worldview of, say, Rav Shteinman, Rav Chaim and the Novominsker versus the more right-wing worldview of, say, Brisk, Rav Auerbach and Rav Shternbuch.)

its more popular to get married & Have a MISHPACHA (family) and then if you work on the proper Bitachon & emuna (faith & trust) in Hashem, then you will not need any FAMILY FIRST assistance. for one that depends on Hashem (& not others rather rebbes or programs etc…) lacks nothing (Tehillim 34)

A Rov asking someone for a favor or to send a message in no way constitutes an endorsement. Rav Dovid doesn’t read Ami, doesn’t know its contents and certainly does not endorse it as you implied. And it clearly has an ideology as I mentioned. And most certainly no one should be using Ami as their guide on the right way of living a Torah life. There are far far better, and greater, sources for that purpose than ANY weekly magazine. Ami is a for-profit enterprise in the business of selling magazines. And controversy sells and they supply plenty of it.

“And controversy sells and they supply plenty of it.”

agreed, i feel that ami goes for the more controversial approach to any issue than the mispacha.

Also, Aaron Tzvi, this feels a bit like a contradiction:

“Are you aware that Rav Dovid Soloveitchik asked Ami’s head personally to convey his views through their magazine. They are the only Jewish magazine that truly will not bend over backwards for agendas”

I am not defining R Dovid Soloveitchik’s view as an agenda- I am defining an agenda as a preexisting template or mindset on the part of those producing the magazine.

And on this rare occasion I agree with Lior- do NOT base your life off of the hadracha of a $3.99 (or however much) magazine.

And, with any magazine, the number of people at any given period (even in the same ISSUE) who could be featured and diametrically oppose/disagree with each other is very very large.

(Defining moderate as being the worldview of, say, Rav Shteinman, Rav Chaim and the Novominsker versus the more right-wing worldview of, say, Brisk, Rav Auerbach and Rav Shternbuch.)

Since there is such a tremendously wide gap between Rav Shteinman and the Novominsker, your definition is meaningless.

Would you care to define your version of “moderate” is actual Halacha/Hashkafic terms instead of referencing multiple people who disagree with each other?

There’s a big difference between “It’s OK to work instead of kollel” versus “why aren’t those kollel guys working?”

gaw: Another example would be (and I think this is what you’re alluding to) is that overall the Chareidi rabbonim in Eretz Yisroel are somewhat more right-wing while their American Chareidi colleagues are more moderate. A highlight being in EY they encourage longer term learning for a larger part of the oilem whereas in America it isn’t pushed as strongly. But the two magazines under discussion here are to the left of even the American Chareidi rabbinic world. That was my essential point. But make no mistake about it, the American Chareidi rabbonim are far closer in hashkafa to the Eretz Yisroel Chareidi rabbonim than they are to the non-Chareidi American community.

My family sampled all the magazines, but we love the Ami best.

Lior can you give an example that makes you view Ami as left of center?

You either have a funny center or you have right and left backwards

I can think of plenty of right wing stories for example defending/prmototing the very Right wing lev tahor cult (granted they probably did it to create controversy and sell magazines, nonethless they couldve done the same by defending say, Avi Weiss)

Can you povided any counter example?

ubiq: Ami in no way whatsoever promoted Lev Tahor. They simply defended them against a blood libel of the openly anti-Semitic Quebeqis false charges. If de Blasio was falsely charged with assault, your defending him doesn’t mean you’re supporting leftist causes.

gaw: I would characterize Yated as being on the right. BTW, YU interprets Torah with a modern lens trying to fit it into contemporary society, so you can’t compare them to the Novominsker.

i read every article especially since their all about shidduchim or seminary and i have nothing else better to do but read about that or talk about it