Deborah Kolben
Why My Daughter Isn’t Bilingual — Yet
Deborah Kolben and her husband planned to teach their daughter English and Hebrew. But raising a bilingual child proved more challenging than expected
Why Do Men Write All the Baby Manuals?
The world of childrearing is still mostly considered the domain of women. So why are most of the how-to books that ‘instruct’ us about it written by men?
Who Will Light Up Jewish Kids Lit?
Jewish children’s book authors Simms Taback and Russell Hoban died days apart in December. Deborah Kolben says her daughter’s bookshelf won’t be the same.
Jewish Day Care Is Missing Link
It’s a nightmare out there for Jewish parents looking for day care. Deborah Kolben asks why synagogues or community groups don’t step up to fill the void.
Whatever You Think About 'Go the F**k to Sleep,' Leave the Jews Out of It
No one is going to get any shut-eye if people don’t give the controversy over Adam Mansbach’s “Go the F**k to Sleep” a rest. But hey, what could be more fun than staying up all night, debating the merits of a brilliant profanity-laced picture book whose popularity is exceeding its author’s wildest dreams?
Kvelling in Brownstone Brooklyn — and Beyond
Kvelling (or boasting) about their children — “She aced her nursery school entrance interview, my little genius!” — is one of the things Jewish moms and dads do very well. So it’s fitting that a new website for parents of young Jewish children went with the title Kveller. The site is part service, with information on why Jews frown on baby showers and a guide to Jewish baby names. And it’s part lifestyle magazine, with lively essays on adventures in parenting and a Jewish celebrity parent gossip column. I recently interviewed the site’s editor Deborah Kolben — full disclosure: she was my colleague at the late, great New York Sun — about her vision for Kveller, the site’s focus on Lower Manhattan and Brownstone Brooklyn, and why she thinks it will appeal to parents like her.