MANAGING EDITOR

When she was growing up in Brooklyn, Shana Friedman never imagined she’d spend her days producing an international weekly magazine for Orthodox Jews – because the industry didn’t exist back then. She joined the fledgling Mishpacha Magazine as a translator working at home, then moved on to editing and writing, and currently serves as managing editor.

She sees the magazine as a social force and powerful forum that both reflects and shapes the discussion at Shabbos tables across the globe, and highlights the values, heroes, and concerns of its readers. In the daily operation of the magazine, Shana juggles the “wide-lens” of management and creative development with nitty-gritty involvement in details like font types and headlines. While she focuses for the most part on the bigger picture, she still enjoys the challenge of an intense editing job.

Shana lives in Jerusalem with her family.

DEPUTY EDITOR

Yisroel Besser has been with Mishpacha almost since its inception: he has written several memorable profiles, some of which have become best-selling books. Along with interviewing revered Rebbes and roshei yeshiva, Jewish leaders and prominent politicians — including the President of the United States and Prime Minister of Canada — Besser has found the extraordinary story-lines behind ordinary facades, building a devoted cadre of international readers.

DEPUTY EDITOR

Rachel Bachrach has been with Mishpacha since 2010. She studied journalism at City University of New York, where she received her masters from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Prior to joining Mishpacha, Rachel spent a summer reporting for the Jerusalem Post, where her work was published in both the English and Hebrew editions. Rachel pioneered the popular 10 Questions column, interviewing a veritable who’s who of the Jewish world. Originally from Kew Gardens, New York, Rachel and her family now live in Cincinnati, Ohio, where they are active members of the growing Jewish community.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Rachel Ginsberg jumpstarted her writing career back in high school when did man-in-the street interviews for a local newspaper. Entering the world of English-language journalism after moving to Israel as a young adult in the 1980s, Rachel says “if a paper no longer exists, I probably wrote for it – who remembers The Nation, Newsview, Counterpoint, Good Fortune, or Jewish Homemaker?”

As Associate Editor at Mishpacha, Rachel enjoys making every article shine. She also writes features about people and issues that impact our searching, striving community.

Rachel has a BA from Stern College and a Master’s in Communication from Hebrew University, but says nothing you learn in school can compare to the skills you hone by interviewing, empathizing, and really connecting with your subject.

She lives with her husband and family in the Jerusalem suburb of Beitar.

EDITOR AT LARGE

Binyamin entered journalism in 1978, reporting for two daily New Jersey newspapers, going on to serve as a news director and producer at major-market all-news stations in Miami and Charlotte. Following senior positions in trading, wealth management, and public relations, Binyamin returned to journalism as news editor at the inception of the Mishpacha Magazine’s English-language edition in 2004, before taking early retirement in 2018 and assuming the role of Editor at Large.

Based in Jerusalem, Binyamin travels frequently to interview leading newsmakers and politicians worldwide and has visited 26 countries as of 2018.

Binyamin writes to inform, not to impress.

DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

Having learned for more than a decade in the Mir yeshiva, and graduated from the Ner L’Elef outreach training program, Gedalia Guttentag co-founded Inspired Tel Aviv, a kiruv center serving international olim to Israel’s cultural capital, where he and his wife teach. In addition, he is currently completing his semicha.

Gedalia writes the Eye on Europe and Knesset Channel columns, and is a regular feature contributor.

EDITOR, FAMILY FIRST

As Editor of Family First, Bassi plans the magazine’s content, conceptualizes columns, assigns articles, reviews submissions, and works with writers, editors, proofreaders, and graphic artists. She enjoys both the craft and the process of creating the magazine, and loves being part of a global family of thinking Jewish women.

Bassi was previously the editorial director of Targum Press. In addition to her editing work, Bassi has published hundreds of articles for a variety of publications and wrote “A Mother’s Musings” (ArtScroll, 2008). A licensed social worker, Bassi worked as a therapist for several years before moving from listening to people’s stories to writing them.

Bassi enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, and loves playing board games and hanging out with her children, because, after all —family first.

DEPUTY EDITOR, FAMILY FIRST

Miriam has been writing and editing ever since she discovered that she could parlay her lifelong love of reading and language into a career. (Also, it was literally the only thing anyone would pay her to do.) Before joining Mishpacha, Miriam worked as a writer and editor for a variety of academic clients, with a special focus on building literacy and education. With a penchant for pedantry, a passion for prose, and an unfortunate tendency to over-alliterate, Miriam enjoys harnessing the power of language to create worlds and forge connections.

Miriam lives in Jerusalem with her husband and children. She thinks puns should be illegal.

EDITOR, FAMILY TABLE

Chanie began her career with Mishpacha in 2011, and her remarkable aptitude for food and food trends made itself clear right away. As longtime editor of Family Table, she keeps her finger on the pulse of Mishpacha’s worldwide, multi-demographic readership. Whether planning a major holiday supplement or a simple dinner set, Chanie pulls together the talents of the world-class Family Table team to create magic week after week. Chanie also serves as the editor in chief of Kosher.com, where you can find many of Family Table’s recipes. Originally from Lawrence, she lives in the midwest with her husband and children.

EDITOR, TEEN PAGES

As the founding and managing editor of Waterbury CT’s community magazine as well as an 8th grade Navi teacher, Daniela combines both her love of inspiring teens and her editing and creative skills as editor of Teen Pages. Daniela feels that the questions she asks herself daily are the driving energy behind the magazine:  ‘What are the needs of today’s teens? What can we print that will speak to them?”

When she’s not editing, thinking up original ideas for TP, teaching or communicating with teens, teachers and parents across the US and beyond, Daniela loves enjoying the great outdoors with her children as well as cooking and hosting guests.