The Schmooze lies at the intersection of high and low culture. Here, the latest developments and trends in Jewish art, books, dance, film, music, media, television and theater are all assimilated into one handy pop culture blog.
The Schmooze
-
‘Please stop complimenting me!’ Beanie Feldstein Says Being Thinner Doesn’t Make You Better
You are going to have to work very, very hard to not fall in love with Beanie Feldstein by the end of her body image-themed personal essay. Oh, you don’t know who Beanie Feldstein is? Well, she is a comedian capable of broad physical comedy, as she demonstrated in “Neighbors II: Sorority Rising.” via GIPHY…
-
The Year’s Best Books, ‘The Disaster Artist’ And More To Read, Watch And Do This Weekend
It’s been a week of big news and high tension. None of that will go away by Monday; if you hope to use the weekend to rejuvenate, do so with some of the best culture in New York, Washington D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as the week’s best movies, TV and books. 1)…
-
Has Slavery Show From ‘Game Of Thrones’ Creators Been Abandoned?
If you don’t care to envision an America where slavery was never abolished, you certainly aren’t alone. When the Jewish creators of “Game Of Thrones,” D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, announced that their next venture was an alt-history show where slavery had never been abolished, eminent scholar Ta-Nehisi Coates felt hehad to get involved. The…
The Latest
-
The Number Of Jewish Celebrity Write-Ins For NYC Mayor Is Rather Astonishing
Match-mayor, match-mayor, make me a match… the people of New York City have spoken, and Bill de Blasio is mayor once again, clinching his second term with a decisive 66.5% of the vote. But many other people of New York have also spoken, and they’ve spoken for something else entirely. Yahoo News tallied up the…
-
Idina Menzel And Disney Sued For Allegedly Stealing ‘Let It Go’
‘Tis the season of cheery beverages, twinkly lights, and female power anthems about transcending social constructs. “Let It Go,” is the painfully catchy ballad that promoted snow-based self-acceptance when it debuted in the movie “Frozen” in 2013. Now that the temperature is dipping, “Let It Go” is once again gracing our airwaves and, perhaps, our…
-
‘I Won’t Show You My Penis’ — Jewish Candidate’s Campaign Ad Goes Viral
As 2017 runs towards its inevitable conclusion, it seems that the hardest (hardest?) lesson for men to learn this year was a simple one: nobody is interested in seeing your penis. The hardest lesson for women this year was that it is extremely difficult to be a woman (this is the lesson for women every…
-
Lin Manuel Miranda Is Starring On ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Right Now
How does a bastard, balding, elderly man/Who likes samples and grousing/Living in Bernie Sanders’ shadow/Get a guest star who has music superpowers? Ladies and gentlemen, the pop-culture moment you didn’t even realize you had been waiting for: Lin Manuel Miranda is guest-starring right now on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the show about the man who will…
-
The Titan Of Jewish Singles Events Reveals Tips For Finding Your Soulmate
It’s Christmas Eve, and everyone knows what nice Jewish girls and boys should be doing — getting in shouting matches about politics with their parents in Chinese restaurants. But what should somewhat naughty single Jews do on the one night of the year when all the goys are busy? We interviewed Andy Rudnick, the founder…
-
Sheryl Sandberg Is Helping Grieving Families Handle The Holidays
The Jewish festival of lights falls during the winter for a reason — in dark times we have to depend on communal sources of light to warm us. Sheryl Sandberg says your presence really is the best present you can give mourners during the holidays. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has made a second career of…
-
Everyone Loves Israeli Chocolate Spread. Even Gwyneth Paltrow.
Israelis have their own versions of everything, from Google Maps, which they’ve replaced with Waze, to Nutella, which they’ve replaced with Elite’s Pesek Zman chocolate spread. And even Gwyneth Paltrow is a fan. Paltrow’s father is Jewish and she’s mentioned in interviews how she grew up celebrating both Jewish and Christian holidays all her life….
-
An Israeli Columnist Said Gender Equality Is Like A Dog’s Bar Mitzvah, So Here Are Dogs We’d Like To See Have Bar Mitzvahs
On Monday, a columnist for Sheldon Adelson’s free daily newspaper, Israel Hayom, wrote an opinion piece comparing American Reform Jews demanding gender equality at the Western Wall to celebrating a dog’s bar mitzvah. In an article called “No Underdog,” Galit Distal Atbaryan wrote, “If I saw the Friedman family in Illinois celebrating their dog’s bar…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News School Israel trip turns ‘terrifying’ for LA students attacked by Israeli teens
- 2
Culture Cardinals are Catholic, not Jewish — so why do they all wear yarmulkes?
- 3
Fast Forward Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements
- 4
Fast Forward Student suspended for ‘F— the Jews’ video defends himself on antisemitic podcast
In Case You Missed It
-
Yiddish קאָנצערט לכּבֿוד דעם ייִדישן שרײַבער און רעדאַקטאָר באָריס סאַנדלערConcert honoring Yiddish writer and editor Boris Sandler
דער בעל־שׂימחה האָט יאָרן לאַנג געדינט ווי דער רעדאַקטאָר פֿונעם ייִדישן פֿאָרווערטס.
-
Fast Forward Trump’s new pick for surgeon general blames the Nazis for pesticides on our food
-
Fast Forward Jewish feud over Trump escalates with open letter in The New York Times
-
Fast Forward First American pope, Leo XIV, studied under a leader in Jewish-Catholic relations
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
