Which magazine? | Imamother

mommydearest

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 6:04 pm

Have been considering subsribing to one of the three big Jewish magazines. Just wondering which of the three most of you have been happy with throughout the year? Ami, Mishpacha or Binah

Thanks!

MaBelleVie

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 6:06 pm

Try out one of each and see what you like. It's really a matter of taste. Personally I enjoy mishpacha and can't tolerate the others at all.

mommydearest

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 6:14 pm

I have. I'm pretty parve on all three, so instead of paying high prices again for another three weeks, figured I'd ask you guys who have been reading for more than 1 month. Thanks! Also, do they tend to cover the same topics and overlap or are they very selective in their topics?

MaBelleVie

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 6:22 pm

What do you mean by selective? They cover a very broad range of topics. I've been subscribing for years and there's always something new.

STovah

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 7:37 pm

If you are kind of lukewarm on each, Binah advertised a 12 hour special coming up some time soon that will give you a year for $99. I saw this advertised in the Hamodia.

PinkFridge

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 7:37 pm

I'm a Mishpacha person myself. Binah can be a good read but isn't as meaty, and I'm not so enamored of Ami for various reasons, feel free to PM me. But it isn't just process of elimination. I like Mishpacha, I like the content, I enjoy the editorials, I really like Rabbi Feldman (somehow it didn't seem appropriate to say adore), and really just about everything else.

forever21

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 8:04 pm

Binah is very pareve, they generally do not discuss any controversial topics. they have articles on gedolim which im not that into but you may be. I feel that mishpacha's articles are more open minded.

IMHopinion

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 8:08 pm

IMO, mishpacha gives you the most intelligent and professional reading.

AMI sometimes has great articles, but at times can be very controversial or unprofessional.

Binah is just plain, light reading. It has very simple stories and stuff like that.

Davida

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 8:08 pm

I vote mishpacha! I am kind of getting tired of it but that's after reading it for 5 or 6 years every week! I didn't like ami or binah so much so sticking with my mishpacha

alef12

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 8:16 pm

My opinions:
Bina: a lot of "fluff". it is truly a "women's magazine"

Mishpacha: good but the editing can sometimes be awful. So good content and great for the "find the spelling and grammar mistakes" challenge lol

Ami: also good. Usually better editing. Can have a bit of a Lubavitch slant. (That may bother you, you may like it, or just not care like me but it's something to know)

We used to get all three but cut it down to Ami and Mishpacha because I don't 'love' Bina and DH enjoys the others.

MaBelleVie

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 8:18 pm

I actually find the editing in mishpacha to be far superior to that of Ami. I don't find that spelling or grammatical typos are more common than they are in the secular weeklies that I subscribe to.

alef12

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 8:30 pm

MaBelleVie wrote:

I actually find the editing in mishpacha to be far superior to that of Ami. I don't find that spelling or grammatical typos are more common than they are in the secular weeklies that I subscribe to.

It's possible. Ami's was better when it first started. But I sort of try to tune them out at this point. I don't subscribe to any other weeklies in print as they are my Shabbos reading. During the week I read ebooks, online news sites etc...

seeker

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 9:39 pm

If I could only have one, it would be Mishpacha. I enjoy Binah a lot but it doesn't have much current events and opinion type pieces, whereas Mishpacha's "family first" section has a lot of the same types of features as Binah - not as much because it's only a subsection of a bigger magazine, and Binah has some distinctive features and great writers that I like (if fiction is an important part of your magazine experience, Binah wins hands down imo), but still if I had to choose only one thing to subscribe to it would be Mishpacha because it has a little of everything and is generally good at most of it.

out-of-towner

Tue, Aug 19 2014, 10:57 pm

I personally like Mishpacha. I find Binah a little too un-intellectual for me, and Ami a bit too worldly, modern, and topics that I don't appreciate. Mishpacha has interesting articles that are light reading which is what I appreciate.

But that's just me...it is totally a matter of personal taste.

Frumdoc

Wed, Aug 20 2014, 6:23 am

I usually find something to enjoy in Mishpacha, whether in the main or FF section. It is a bit more worldly than Binah, which I find very parev, for want of a better description.

Ami is good when you're in the mood for controversy, but I find the way it is written slightly less professional, both spelling/ grammar wise and in the way they state opinion as fact, or use strawman arguments. I have issues with their attacks on various other magazines and institutions, and find their attitude just a bit off.

Levtov

Wed, Aug 20 2014, 7:08 am

Another vote for Mishpacha! I read FF cover to cover. Then I choose my articles in the other part. Excellent serials, lifelines, etc. plus so much more that I truly enjoy.

Butterfly

Wed, Aug 20 2014, 9:54 am

Levtov wrote:

Another vote for Mishpacha! I read FF cover to cover. Then I choose my articles in the other part. Excellent serials, lifelines, etc. plus so much more that I truly enjoy.

Are you me? LOL

HonesttoGod

Wed, Aug 20 2014, 12:49 pm

Binah is boring imo.

The mishpacha is not bad I just find it a bit old like it is all the same old stuff rehashed, nothing new or interesting.
I love the Ami. It can be pretty controversial at times and I have not bought their magazine for a couple of weeks due to various articles/ads they have placed but I always go right back. Their articles are mostly well written (most of the time) and they are always interesting and different.