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
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There Is Now An Official Handbook To Kvetching
Is kvetching the official Jewish sport? If so, Amy Fish may have written its handbook. In I Wanted Fries With That, the Montreal author lays out thoughtful, practical tips for effective complaining — along with roadmaps to civility as we try to make ourselves heard. Even if you think you’ve got a black belt in…
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RBG Wore A Collar With A Torah Verse On The Opening Day Of The Supreme Court
Correction Appended The Supreme Court of the United States opened its new session on Monday, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg arrived in style. The 86-year-old Justice wore one of her many collars, or jabots, her signature accessory. Monday’s jabot has special significance — it was created by the Jewish artist Marcy Epstein, and woven with…
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Zach Galifianakis Talking Circumcision With Three Jewish Grandmas Is The High Point Of 2019
“Jews are like, my favorites,” says Zach Galifianakis, sweating, clutching a heart-shaped box of Russell Stover chocolates, as three Jewish grandmothers take him in. “I gotta tell ya, man, I love the Jews,” he rambles on moments later, the three women eying him like the fates toying with a piece of thread. “I have always…
The Latest
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Demi Lovato Went On A $150K Trip To Israel — Paid For By Israel And Private Funders
Stars: They’re just like us! Really, though. Multi-platinum U.S. pop star Demi Lovato had an experience this summer that was identical to one that has been shared by over 500,000 Jewish Americans: She went on a two-week trip to Israel that was paid for by the Israeli government and private donors. She accepted her hosts’…
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Is An Israeli Fashion Mogul About To Save Barneys’ From Liquidation?
An Israeli-born fashion mogul is emerging as the white knight who may rescue beleaguered Barneys New York from liquidation. Sam Ben-Avraham, who founded white-hot streetwear label Kith and now runs the fashion-trade expos like PROJECT and Capsule, is preparing to pony up about $220 million for Barneys, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ben-Avraham “is…
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An Undocumented Israeli Family Chases The American Dream On Netflix
Seventeen years old, with flat-ironed hair and carefully distressed jeans, Bar seems like she’d be perfectly at home at any American high school. She likes celebrating Shabbat with her parents and younger siblings, but she’s also impatient to become an “independent person.” But this seemingly ordinary case of adolescent angst is complicated by her family’s…
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The ‘Transparent’ Musical Finale: Terminally Jewish And Endearingly Hard To Watch
If you think the 70-minute musical finale of Amazon Prime’s “Transparent” doesn’t end with a barn-burning group number called “Joyocaust!” take a hit from your nearest source of cannabis and think again. “Transparent,” the first prestige TV show aimed squarely at presidents of Temple social action committees, dropped its final episode on Friday. Show runner…
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Ivanka Trump Says ‘The Force’ Is With Her. Luke Skywalker Begs to Differ.
It’s the kind of aspirational snapshot common on Instagram: a casually perfect-looking young mother poses in a casually perfect-looking living room. Her accessories: a tuxedoed husband and three charmingly oblivious children. She’s dressed to the nines, clearly ready to head out for the night, but the (carefully controlled) mess of Legos on her tasteful coffee…
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Timothée Chalamet Handed Out Bagels On The Red Carpet On Rosh Hashanah
Like an inverse Santa Clause, Timothée Chalamet — diminutive, hairless, Jewish — arrived at the red carpet for the premiere of his new Netflix film “The King” on Tuesday night, holding aloft a sack of gifts. The 23-year-old star of “Call Me By Your Name” came bearing bagels, which he proceeded to distribute to the…
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The Lack Of Diapers In The Natalie Portman Astronaut Movie Is About Male Control
The Natalie Portman film “Lucy In The Sky” was made because of a diaper. In 2007, NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak grabbed headlines when she drove 950-miles across country to apprehend her ex-boyfriend’s then-girlfriend. Nowak, who was later charged with attempted kidnapping and attempted murder, told police that she wore a diaper on the drive so…
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Free (And Free-ish) Rosh Hashanah Services In New York
It’s a dilemma familiar to many a not-so-observant Jew as late September rolls around: fork over hundreds of dollars for High Holiday services or scandalize bubbe by skipping out altogether. Fortunately, in NYC some synagogues are opening their doors to wandering Jews during the High Holidays. Other organizations have sprung up specifically provide free and…
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