Ami vs Mishpacha | Imamother

pesek zman

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 10:59 am

Mommyg8 wrote:

My only issue with Mishpacha is that it's based in Israel and there's a lot of Israel related politics and issues, and not as much about American viewpoints and issues.

And like I said, I like Ami Living better than Family First. But that's just me.

Helpful. I too live in the US so would probably relate to a US based publication better

thank you!

SuperWify

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 11:04 am

I like mispacha because it’s very professional but the FF is definitely more boring and close minded.

Ami Living has a more open minded perspective but yes some articles need to be taken with a grain of salt.

The kids mishpacha is written on a very elementary level while the Aim is versed for tweens teens and yes even adults.

pesek zman

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 11:06 am

amother wrote:

Does either print pictures of women?

No. Which is antithetical to my lifestyle and my hashkafah and part of why I can't really relate to either

oliveoil

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 11:12 am

Honestly, if I won that prize I would pass it along to someone else.

I don't find either magazine worth my time.

If someone is limited to only reading Jewish (and sometimes a very narrow field even within "Jewish") materia, l understand why they would read one of these. But when you have so many other options, I do not see the appeal.

amother

Lawngreen

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 11:59 am

The titles of Ami's articles....attract your attention & make you curious.....sometimes the content of the article is not so exciting as the title. In Ami Living....They have interesting articles....like different not so familiar health experiences people went thru. Peoples life experiences/stories.....Its always nice to read people's true accounts rather than fiction that someone imagined in their head. Fun writing style. In main Ami, you can ask Rabbi Shais Taub advice on challenging scenarios in your life....which is interesting to see how he will respond. In Mispacha's main mag, mostly Israeli news is discussed.

amother

Seafoam

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 12:12 pm

I think a lot of Ami's "as told to" stories are either made up or heavily embellished. So many of the details don't make sense (I.e. events that supposedly took place decades ago but characters are using cell phones, etc). Also, some are recycled stories I read in other publications years ago ( I assume most of the author names are psuedonyms). That said, they often do have interesting interviews with unusual people. To me, that's their strongest feature and is a weakness of Mishpacha. Otherwise I prefer Mishpacha, I find it better written and more professional (they can handle letters with negative feedback/criticism, while Ami really cannot, I'm starting to suspect that some of the over the top, fawning letters to the editor in Ami are made up, lol).

So, in a nutshell, I read and enjoy both, but if I had to choose just one, I would go with Mishpacha, no question.

amother

Cerulean

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 12:16 pm

pesek zman wrote:

truth is that I can't relate to either, both are very "other" to me. But as to which is more 'open minded' in its view points, or which my 'offend' me less with it's narrowness, sounds like maybe Ami. (if you're wondering why I"m going to be subscribing at all, it's a prize in a chinese auction)

Now that you're explaining why your asking, I see that you don't have time for the great advice I offered you (to try both a few times and compare).
I still think, if you have time before you claim your prize, you should invest in one copy of each. Or better yet you might get lucky and find some friends or neighbors who might be willing to part with a few old issues?
I'm finding it interesting reading the replies here, but I think you have to see - or read - for yourself.
I don't know you very well, but from the little I know from your posts here (I'm a fan!) I'm not sure the Ami will go over as well as Mishpacha.

iyar

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 12:40 pm

pesek zman wrote:

No. Which is antithetical to my lifestyle and my hashkafah and part of why I can't really relate to either

Interesting.
I can see why left to your own devices you'd never have subscribed.
Now that you won the prize, you might be pleasantly surprised at how much you find that you actually can relate to!
An interesting exercise in checking out the thoughts and lifestyles of others very near and yet far from you, agreed?
Pesek, I'm waiting for an interesting article from you on the subject, here on imamother or in the publication of your choice.

cnc

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 12:41 pm

pesek zman wrote:

You're definitely convincing me that Ami is the way to go (we are not chassidish, we are RW MO) and though neither is for us, Mishpacha, less so.

thank you!

I think that you'll be disappointed with the Ami. The grammar is terrible. The writing is on a low level. It's not a professional magazine. They'll write (inaccurate) medical statistics without any sources etc...

The Mishpacha is pretty chareidi , but I would consider it a professional magazine.

amother

Lime

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 1:01 pm

Mishpacha wouldn’t discuss sonograms?? Oh please. Maybe long ago- not the case today at all. I like that they have a nice FB page that features the women they write about, which Ami doesn’t have. Mishpacha is far more professional of the two. In my opinion Ami will drive you absolutely batty with their amateur style.
EDited to add- mishpacha featured Hillary on the cover before the election. They also sometimes include sketches of the women they feature, Ami doesn’t. In terms of featuring pics of women they are the more progressive of the two.

gold21

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 1:08 pm

I prefer Mishpacha but I don't really read either of them much so I get what my kids enjoy.

They used to love the Mishpacha kids magazine. Now those of my kids who are old enough to read have outgrown Mishpacha Junior and prefer the Ami kids magazine, which is a bit more sophisticated. So we get Ami. I myself don't really read it.

I read the local Jewish newspaper actually, which has great articles and is free and includes pictures of women. Not the Yated or Jewish Press... It's a local paper.

flowerpower

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 1:32 pm

I personally enjoy the Ami much more. The Ami Living is very informative- there was a story about placenta vasa that was very interesting this week. They write about health issues I never heard of. The Ami itself has good articles and my teens enjoy reading the Wisk.

The Mishpacha is second choice. It is based in EY and you can definitaly feel it. The Family First is okay but I still enjoy the Living more.

amother

Wine

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 1:39 pm

pesek zman wrote:

Can you tell me the differences, hashkafically, between the 2?

As I wrote above. Mishpacha is more clean and I don't think it's appropriate for a 15 year old boy to know about sonograms. I will tell him when I want him to know.

livinginflatbus

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 1:42 pm

Ami living is very sensational but their articles are still interesting and unusual. Family first is not that exciting in my opinion. The regular ami I don’t really read , only the human experience and questions to rabbi shais Taub.

amother

Lime

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 1:48 pm

Mishpacha features the women they write about on their FB page. They are more progressive than Ami when it comes to women’s pics ( put Hillary on the cover, include sketches of interviewees etc). Go with mishpacha

thunderstorm

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 1:59 pm

cnc wrote:

Many posters wrote that the Mishpacha is based out of Israel and that you can feel it.
Can you expound on that?

Lots of the Mishpacha news articles are about Israel.

amother

Lime

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 2:20 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

Lots of the Mishpacha news articles are about Israel.

I think many/ most American Jews find the news out of Israel very relevant and are quite interested in keeping up.