Mochers: The Jewish Men’s Lifestyle Magazine is the real deal. But the creator, Editor-in-Chief and publisher Izak Held, admits some weren’t sure when it first came out.
“We launched around the time of Purim so, for sure, some people thought it was a spiel,” Held told the Magazine via phone. “But when people saw the actual magazine, they saw it was real and unique. We wanted to come up with a tznius [modest] alternative to GQ and provide Jews with a cool magazine to be proud of.”
When I saw the first issue and an article titled “How To Herring” for a moment, I thought someone spiked my Evian. But after looking at the winter and summer issue, I can say it is slickly designed with great photographs and intriguing articles.
Held, a Woodmere, Long Island, resident who is in his 30’s and single, said they opted to change the spelling of the word Macher, which means a “big-shot” for more distinctive branding. Why come out with a magazine in print at a time when so many Jewish outlets are going online to save money as opposed to just a website?
“First, there’s Shabbos and Yom Tovim and it’s good to have something to hold in your hand,” says Gabriel Boxer, who was brought on as a lead contributing editor and is also known as the Kosher Guru. “Also, to be able to have something tangible, to feel the gloss and the sheen and the paper is more cool and refined. Anyone can put anything online. This maintains a certain elegance and beauty.”
The quarterly magazine is published by Altchies Media Group.
Boxer, 41, from Hewlett, Long Island, is married with children and has more than 50,000 followers on his Instagram @kosherguru. He has more than 14,000 followers for his Facebook kosher food group. Boxer has spoken out recently against the announcement by Ben & Jerry’s to stop selling in Judea and Samaria when its contract with Israel expires. Boxer was instrumental in delivering thousands of meals to hungry Jews as well as first responders during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis and brought his son along to do acts of chesed (lovingkindness) with him.
“The Mochers team really helped us as well,” Boxer said. “It was really important to step up at a time when there was food insecurity. We never want to see a Jew or frankly anyone go hungry but to see a family that has no food for Shabbos is tragic and I did all I could to make sure that didn’t happen. There is always more work to be done to help people in need.”
Boxer graces the cover of the second issue of the magazine and there is a great story about his trip to Morocco where he spent Shabbos in Marrakech, saw Torahs at a museum and even rode a camel. What exactly is a mocher?
“For us, a mocher can be a father of five who has a regular job and after spending time learning, has a scotch Thursday night or buchurim (yeshiva students) in Lakewood or Brooklyn who sit down to a barbecue and light up a cigar,” Held said.
Boxer said to him, a mocher is also someone who is refined and has class.
“The whole point is there can be balance” Boxer says. “We have our work time, our family time, our learning time and there is nothing wrong with having time to indulge.”
There are single-malt whisky suggestions for under $75 and watch selections from $300 and up. Both said they want to make sure people knew the magazine was not only for men or for rich people.
“A Jewish woman might be a wine lover or an expert,” Boxer said. “We have an article about the best wines. We also have an interior designer who is a writer. Also, we advertise and have articles about high luxury items as well as items that are not expensive.”
GOING STRICTLY by its title, the magazine is geared to men but has a number of things that might interest women. Interior designer Kayla Goldstein writes an impressive article about how she built a man-cave for her husband using a brown leather couch, zebra-patterned pillows and an animal skin rug. She also writes in the summer issue about great ways to build an outdoor kitchen.
One article by Noah Morris talks about how he started drinking wines as a “shana aleph [first-year yeshiva] student in Israel” and bought Recanati Cabernet Sauvignon from the shuk (market) and how he changed from mainly drinking red to drinking white wines. He recommends Hagafen Cellars Sauvignon Blanc at only $20. Of red wines, he likes Vitkin Collector’s Edition Grenache Noir 2017 from Vitkin Winery in northern Israel’s Galilee region.
Boxer said they’ve broken the 1,000 subscription mark and interest is growing. The magazine is sold in select stores for $9.99 an issue but if you subscribe online for four issues it is $8.99 each. Held said one benefit of his magazine is that his writers are experts and practitioners in their field.
While I am certainly not a herring person, I was surprised at how entertained I was reading an article that suggests you give “The Rebbe’s Choice Maple Bourbon” herring a try or possibly charcuterie boards to amp up a kiddush. I can’t disagree with writer Lizy Brenner, who in her article about “Places To Go With The Crew,” suggests ax-throwing at Gotham Archery and a meal at Bison & Bourbon if you are in Brooklyn. Just don’t close your eyes and think of your former boss when you throw the axe!
An article about kosher craft beer is illuminating while another about mental health by Benson Fox, 26, is poignant. The writer is a doctoral student in psychology at Adelphi University.
“I think this magazine fills a void in terms of men needing to – in a healthy way – explore their masculinity,” Fox told the Magazine. “I also think there’s been a stigma around mental health maybe from 15 years ago that is no longer there. I think both men and women know there is a need to properly control their emotions and an article about mental health gives the magazine a bit of depth.”
Sruly Meyer, 43, who works in social media and graphic design, lived in Brooklyn for many years and now lives in Hollywood, Florida. He offers a recipe for making your own pizza with low-fat cheese as well as Raspberry Jam Oat Bars as a healthier dessert option. Meyer said that growing up with many siblings, sometimes his mother would tell him to go to the fridge and see what he could find.
“When I was little, I saw my mother make a cake from the Duncan Hines box and I thought that was how you made cake,” he told the Magazine. “I didn’t know you could make it from scratch.”
He said he hopes to inspire food education in the heimish world and adds that men should firstly know that they can cook for themselves, and also the health risks of fatty foods.
“The phrase ‘you don’t gain calories on Shabbos,’ I don’t think was a spiritual thing said by a rabbi,” Meyer said. “I think it was bubbies (grandmothers) who slaved away for days and wanted their kids and grandkids to eat. I want men to know their wives don’t have to cook everything. There’s been a change in the frum (observant) world when it comes to food that people want, fancier foods, and also are caring more about healthy options. For me, it’s super important to break the stereotype that men will just eat whatever is on the table. You don’t have to have all three kugels or two pieces of cake. A lot of people, on Friday night/Shabbos, come home from shul, schmooze with their guests and don’t sit down to eat until 10:00 p.m. or so. Then eat food filled with saturated fats. It’s like taking a knife and stabbing yourself in the heart.”
HE SAID he pushed himself to learn about food to lose weight. He is the oldest of 10 children, and his mother had to stretch every dollar so he learned how to be creative with cooking meals.
“I hope men can be inspired to cook for themselves and their families not as a chore but as a creative outlet,” he said.
There are also some beautiful meats cooked up by Israeli personal Israeli chef Eyal Seti and interesting articles about how to pick the right cologne, suit, or summer rental property.
The only criticism I had was an article about the Yankees that was too superficial, but the writer made up for it in the second issue with an on-point piece about how the New York Giants would have benefited if they drafted defensive end Reggie White, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. Why has nobody come up with an idea for a magazine like this before?
“I think people were too scared,” Boxer said. “In our society, there is so much criticism for every little thing, if you’re gonna go out on a limb like this, you really have to do it right and get the proper people involved.”
Held said they have a staff of more than 35 people, males and females with some part- and full-time. The photography of Yisroel Teitelbaum is extremely impressive.
“We worked furiously around the clock,” Boxer said. “We come out quarterly but there is a lot to find in those 70 pages. And we’re in a time where people want something that will lift their spirits.”
Held said a friend of his once asked a rabbi if the NBC series Seinfeld was a hillul Hashem (desecration of God’s name) or kiddush Hashem (honoring God’s name). The rabbi said it was a kiddush Hashem because for many in parts of America, it was a chance to see a Jew for the first time.
Held said while there is still a learning curve, he could not be happier with the magazine. He said he’s gotten great feedback about the products mentioned and habits to take on. Will people read something in this magazine and find something wild? Yes. Will there be numerous things that are entertaining and educational? Yes.
Mochers is impressive and relevant whether you consider yourself a big-shot or not. Perhaps the only thing missing is a feature on a Jewish athlete or an article about dating, but that might be in the next issue.
“It’s fun at a time when Jewish people certainly need a laugh,” Held said. “I think for anyone who is proud of being Jewish, this is something they’ll want to get their hands on.”