Bethany Mandel is a contributing writer for Deseret News and is a home-schooling, stay-at-home mother of six. She is the co-author of “Stolen Youth” and an editor for the patriotic children’s book series “Heroes of Liberty.”
Bethany Mandel
By Bethany Mandel
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Life Amid rising anti-Semitism, a bright spot in free kosher lunch
Recently, in a local Facebook group for a nearby community, I saw someone post a recipe for homemade cream cheese for anyone with an excess of milk. In the comments, another group member asked why someone would have too much milk. A third replied, scoffing “if you’re collecting on WIC” — the Special Supplemental Nutrition…
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Opinion The end of Jewish day school
Previous Article Next Article In late summer and early spring of each year, as registration fees, payments and tuition schedules are due, conversations about the “day-school crisis” light up Modern Orthodox social media. Devastated parents begin to bemoan the astronomical cost of private school tuition on top of the already high cost of living for…
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Life Kosher food is already expensive and inconvenient. Now thanks to Covid, there’s a lot less of it.
When I started keeping strictly Kosher, the first thing everyone asked me was: What is the non-kosher thing do you miss the most? Is it the lobster (yes!), the cheeseburgers (meh), or the bacon (not even a little)? My answer was always the same: What I miss most is the convenience. I miss being able…
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Life Help from a Jewish homeschooler: This feels scary. It can be wonderful.
In the age of coronavirus, being a homeschool mother has made me extremely popular among friends and strangers alike. I have received dozens of questions from friends and strangers alike about curriculum, time management and more. That’s because there aren’t many Jewish homeschoolers, and few as outspoken and public about home education as I am….
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Life The hoops that Jewish converts have to jump through are getting impossibly high
It happened when we were newcomers. When my husband and I moved to a new area, we were eager to become involved in the Jewish community. After a few months of testing out a new synagogue, we decided to join. For us, the act of joining the synagogue was us formally declaring that we are…
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Opinion For Years, I Opposed Lawsuits Against My Abuser. I Was Wrong.
Following the arrest of my conversion rabbi, Barry Freundel, I was certain I wouldn’t sue. Freundel had secretly videotaped me in the preparation room of the mikveh, the ritual bath, both when I took a “practice dunk” in October 2010 and then again on the actual day of my conversion in June 2011. But though…
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Life If Paying For High Holy Day Seats Is Hard For You, Remember You’re Not Alone
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but this was the first year I ever picked up my own tickets for High Holidays. In previous years, my in-laws have taken care of it. And before I got married, I did holidays on my college campus, at a Chabad abroad, or my cousin would pick them up. But…
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Life It’s Time We Stop Blaming Parents For Hot Car Deaths And Drownings
Several weeks ago at our community pool, I had the most terrifying moment of my life. I never truly understood the phrase “it only takes a minute” until I had kids, and it never really sunk in until I added a pool into the mix. I was at the pool with my four kids, aged…
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