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 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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Life Joan Nathan Has Some Advice for Forward Readers
Food writer Joan Nathan will be the Forward’s guest Bintel Brief columnist during the month of November. Nathan is the author of numerous cookbooks, including “Jewish Cooking in America” (Knopf, 1994), “Joan Nathan’s Jewish Holiday Cookbook” (Schocken, 2004) and “The New American Cooking” (Knopf, 2005). She has won two James Beard awards and a Julia…
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Life Embracing Your Would-Be Convert, Would-Be Sister-in-Law
Dear Bintel Brief: My boyfriend and his brother come from a family with Jewish values. Their mother has imbued them with the importance of marrying within the faith. My boyfriend’s brother has only been dating a woman for a short period of time, but the woman insists that she is passionate about converting to Judaism….
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Life Be Less Fruitful, and Cut Down Your Carbon Footprint
Dear Bintel Brief: My husband wants to have a big family, but I think that in today’s world with all of the suffering and the need, no one family should have more than two children. As someone who wrote about the stroller capital of the world, who’s right? PONDERING PREGNANCY AND POPULATION Amy Sohn replies:…
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Life How Can I Fire My Flower Girl?
Dear Bintel Brief: My oldest and dearest friend, one of my only friends with children, really wants her daughter to be the flower girl in my forthcoming wedding. Initially, I thought it was a good idea, as neither my husband nor I have young nieces. But now, I’m rethinking the matter: My friend’s daughter is…
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