Since 1906, the Forward has been answering reader dilemmas about daily life in “A Bintel Brief,” Yiddish for a bundle of letters. Send your queries to [email protected], and listen to a podcast version of our signature advice column.
Bintel Brief
The Latest
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Life Help! I Don’t Want My Daughter To Be a ‘Coastie’
Dear Bintel Brief: My 18-year-old daughter is applying to the University of Wisconsin, Madison. We are Jewish and I understand that approximately 14% of the university’s roughly 30,000 undergraduate students are Jewish. Our daughter is not a Jewish American Princess. However, she does don some of the stereotypical trappings: Ugg boots and North Face outerwear….
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Life A Precarious Cocktail of Friendship and Real Estate
Dear Bintel Brief: My husband and I live in New York City and are getting ready to buy our first apartment. We realize that a home purchase is a sizable financial commitment, and we are preparing to take the plunge. Adding to what is already a tremendously stressful decision-making process, we are considering buying a…
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Life Help! My Fiancé’s Parents Are Insisting on a Prenup
Dear Bintel Brief: I just got engaged to the man of my dreams. He is five years older than I am, and he comes from a family of means. He also earns a much higher salary than I do. My fiancé recently told me that his parents, whom I adore, want me to sign a…
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Life Legal Eagles Have Some Advice for Forward Readers
Sisters Amy Feldman and Robin Epstein, the authors of the new book, “So Sue Me, Jackass!: Avoiding Legal Pitfalls That Can Come Back to Bite You at Work, at Home, and at Play” (Plume) will be the Forward’s next guest Bintel Brief advice columnists. Feldman is General Counsel at the national placement firm the Judge…
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Life Joan Nathan’s Kosher Thanksgiving
Dear Bintel Brief: I own and use “Jewish Cooking in America,” “The Jewish Holiday Kitchen,” and “The Jewish Holiday Baker.” I have not yet seen “The New American Cooking” by Joan Nathan. I had the very great pleasure of meeting Joan Nathan, eating with her and chatting with her at Aitz Hayim Center for Jewish…
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Life With a Stay-at-Home Husband, Who Does the Chores?
Dear Bintel Brief: My husband is taking a few months off from work to write fiction. He’s always felt like writing was his calling, but until now has not had the opportunity to devote more than a few hours a week to writing. On most weekdays, while I’m at the office, he’s at home writing….
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Life How Do I Get My Son’s Family To Eat Dinner Together?
Dear Bintel Brief: I’m very upset. My son, daughter-in-law and their four children NEVER sit down together at the dinner table. One child works at Abercrombie & Fitch; another is being tutored for the SAT (Sheer Agony Test); another is on a traveling soccer team; the fourth child belongs to a Jewish motorcycle club called…
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Life Help! My Dinner Guests Have All Sorts of Dietary Restrictions
Dear Bintel Brief: Shabbos dinner has long been my favorite Jewish custom. What could be more Jewish than gathering with friends and family around a table for a good meal? However, the issues of Jewish ethics and the politics of food have invaded my table — turning my celebration into a battle. Few of my…
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