Weinstein, Miriam 1946–

PERSONAL: Born November 3, 1946, in New York, NY; daughter of Saul and Sally (Barsky) Weinstein; married Peter Feinstein, 1973; children: Mirka, Elijah. Education: Brandeis University, B.A., 1967; Boston University, M.S., 1969. Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Steerforth Press, 25 Lebanon St., Hanover, NH 03755.

CAREER: Writer and filmmaker.

WRITINGS:

Yiddish: A Nation of Words, Steerforth Press (South Royalton, VT), 2001.

(Editor) Prophets and Dreamers: A Selection of Great Yiddish Literature, Steerforth Press (South Royal-ton, VT), 2002.

The Surprising Power of Family Meals: How Eating Together Makes Us Smarter, Stronger, Healthier, and Happier, Steerforth Press (Hanover, NH), 2005.

Also contributor to newspapers and magazines.

SIDELIGHTS: Miriam Weinstein's books have dealt with topics as far ranging as the history of the Yiddish language and the benefits of family togetherness at meals. In Yiddish: A Nation of Words, she explores the language that European Jews developed from Hebrew, German, and other tongues, beginning in the Middle Ages, and took with them wherever they immigrated, producing important literature along the way. She also deals with the decline of Yiddish in the mid-twentieth century; many of its speakers died in the Holocaust, and others abandoned it because of persecution or assimilation. Weinstein notes that Yiddish remains culturally influential, and she hopes Jews will again embrace it to some degree.

Weinstein is not a scholar, several critics observed, but a capable generalist who has produced an appealing volume. The book is "engaging and clearly written," commented Sanford Pinsker in the New Criterion, who felt that Weinstein "knows what she is talking about" and displays "a cheerleader's passion." A Publishers Weekly reviewer called Yiddish "evocative, informative and accessible," while Midstream contributor Jack Fischel deemed it "a riveting account … that is both readable and minus the jargon of a more formal academic history." Fischel, though, dubbed Weinstein's optimism about the future of the language "wishful thinking." Pinsker also thought she does not fully acknowledge that "the end of the history she has so admirably written is that 'Yiddishland,' in any meaningful sense, is gone."

In The Surprising Power of Family Meals: How Eating Together Makes Us Smarter, Stronger, Healthier, and Happier, Weinstein lauds another possibly vanishing feature of our culture. Parents' jobs and children's activities often keep families from having meals together, which Weinstein believes is unfortunate because gathering for dinner promotes communication and strengthens relationships. It can even help children avoid serious problems, such as eating disorders and drug abuse, she writes, offering case studies as evidence. For families unable to share an evening meal regularly, she suggests developing other times for togetherness.

Critics generally saw much that was positive in Weinstein's book, although they also expressed reservations. Some of her conclusions about the benefits of familial dining are "open to argument," commented Jonathan Yardley in the Washington Post, but he found her basic point "absolutely right. Family matters." A Publishers Weekly contributor thought her topic more suited to magazines than a full-length book but still deemed the volume "stimulating" and "persuasive." Booklist reviewer Mark Knoblauch concluded that Weinstein is "careful not to overstate" potential results while making goals "attractive and attainable."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2005, Mark Knoblauch, review of The Surprising Power of Family Meals: How Eating Together Makes Us Smarter, Stronger, Healthier, and Happier, p. 14.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2001, review of Yiddish: A Nation of Words, p. 1109.

Library Journal, October 15, 2001, Marianne Orme, review of Yiddish, p. 77; November 1, 2002, Gene Shaw, review of Prophets and Dreamers: A Selection of Great Yiddish Literature, p. 127; September 1, 2005, Ellen D. Gilbert, review of The Surprising Power of Family Meals, p. 164.

Midstream, November-December, 2002, Jack Fischel, "An Informative History," review of Yiddish, p. 39.

New Criterion, February, 2002, Sanford Pinsker, review of Yiddish, p. 74.

Publishers Weekly, September 3, 2001, review of Yiddish, p. 80; June 6, 2005, review of The Surprising Power of Family Meals, p. 47.

Washington Post, August 30, 2005, Jonathan Yardley, "The Ties That Bind at Mealtime," review of The Surprising Power of Family Meals, p. C8.