Michael Kaminer
By Michael Kaminer
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The Schmooze Father of Four Switches Synagogues, Gets Burned in Arson Attempt
Some Jews talk about getting burned by synagogue memberships. But Aron Rottenberg wouldn’t be exaggerating. The Orthodox Jewish father of four is hospitalized with third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body after another Orthodox Jew allegedly tried to torch his house — all because Rottenberg started taking his family to a different synagogue, Gothamist…
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The Schmooze Ashkenazi Stem Cells: Key to Longevity?
We personally think it’s the power of complaining. But to learn why some Ashkenazim live so long, researchers at Cornell University are about to start studying the stem cells of about a dozen older Jews. According to the New York Post — in a story headlined “Bouncing bubbes of New York” — many Ashkenazi Jews…
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The Schmooze Renault Grandchildren Sue French Government for Seizing Company After WWII
Sure, French automaker Renault made about 30,000 trucks for the Nazis, and even repaired German tanks during World War II. But does that make founder Louis Renault a collaborator? His granddaughter doesn’t think so. So along with seven other Renault grandchildren, Helene Renault-Dingli is suing the French government over what she calls “the illegal confiscation…
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The Schmooze Dan Adler Courts Korean Vote With Bizarre ‘Send a Mensch to Congress’ Video
Which Dan Adler ad is weirder — the one where he lifts a barbell off actress Patty Duke’s chest with help from two black bodybuilders, or the spot in which he reveals he’s Jewish to a Korean constituent who shrieks “What’s a mensch?” Our money’s on the second, which — as intended — has catapulted…
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The Schmooze JDate Launches Netflix-Like Jewish Film Club
Cinematic tastes are usually a good indicator of compatibility. Maybe that’s why JDate, which calls itself “the premier Jewish singles community online,“ is launching a movie site. The New York Times reports this week that JDate is sponsoring “North America’s first Jewish Film-of-the-Month Club,” which plans to send a new, Jewish-themed feature film on DVD…
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The Schmooze Yiddish Cell Phones Unveiled
Like my new klingen? How about this cool schirm verteidikung? Ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel might be asking those questions this week — about their ringtones and screen-savers, respectively — after an Israeli telecom company launched a new “kosher” cell phone with a Yiddish interface. Reuters reports that “Israel’s second largest mobile provider, Partner, [has] introduced…
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The Schmooze Alicia Silverstone Names Baby Boy ‘Bear Blu’
Jewish actress Alicia Silverstone, whose vegetarian activism has drawn more attention than her thespian activity, is back in the spotlight after naming her newborn son for the ursidae family. Bear Blu Jarecki was born May 5 to the actress and author, 34, and husband Christopher Jarecki, Silverstone’s rep told People yesterday. Silverstone followed up with…
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The Schmooze Friday Film: A Talking-Head Tribute to Lenny Bruce
Dustin Hoffman as Lenny Bruce in ‘Lenny’ (1974). Courtesy Toronto Jewish Film Festival Nearly 50 years after his landmark Carnegie Hall performance, and 44 years since his drug-related death, Lenny Bruce still has the power to shock. And as long he’s onscreen, it’s impossible to look away from Elan Gale’s Looking for Lenny, a new…
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