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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School Librarian Rejects Melania Trump’s Dr. Seuss Book Donation In Epic Open Letter
Hiding among the heroes we worship on a regular basis — Elizabeth Warren, Gloria Steinem, RuPaul — are the quieter heroes who deserve just as much reverence as those on the public stage. They’re the mother in Flint, Michigan who won’t stop until her babies have clean water. The college student working three jobs to…
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Why ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Is The Seminal Jewish Comedy (Yes, It Even Beats ‘Seinfeld’)
“Hey, I may loathe myself, but it has nothing to do with the fact that I’m Jewish.” This Sunday night, the long-awaited ninth season of Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is set to premiere. Though “Seinfeld” was once viewed as the show for Jews, its Jewishness was largely coded; the show never even confirmed George…
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‘Veeps Stick Together’: Joe Biden Has An Important Message For Julia Louis-Dreyfus
As far as Joe Biden is concerned, it doesn’t matter whether you only played a vice president on TV or actually woke up next to the President of the United States every morning for eight years (that’s how it works, right?). If you’re a veep, you’re a veep and that’s why he’s not staying silent…
The Latest
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Memo To Whole Foods: Jews Don’t Eat Cake On Yom Kippur
If you don’t see anything wrong with this cake my friend found at a Whole Foods in Rockville, Maryland, I’ll let you in on a secret: Jewish people observe Yom Kippur by fasting. As in, not eating. So, no cake. Not even if it’s been decorated with every well-known symbol of the Jewish religion including…
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Should We Forgive Meghan Markle For Not Being Jewish?
It was May 2017 and Jews were poised for official takeover. Sure, we’d been having a bit of a problem with people defacing our cemeteries. Anti-semitism was on the rise in Europe, but when is it not, honestly? And some of us were beginning to suspect that our nation’s president was hiring people who did…
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Let’s Use Hugh Hefner’s Death As An Opportunity To Remember Gloria Steinem’s Heroic Feminism
Hugh Hefner. Once he was alive, but now he is dead. Was he a visionary, or a pajama-wearing caveman? A misogynist prick, or a champion of female sexuality? This column does not exist to get to the bottom of any of those questions. It exists to celebrate the fact that Hugh Hefner was not Jewish,…
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus Has Breast Cancer
Julia Louis-Dreyfus announced on her personal Twitter page Thursday afternoon that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Just when you thought… pic.twitter.com/SbtYChwiEj — Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) September 28, 2017 The announcement follows a particularly successful year for Louis-Dreyfus. The actress recently took home an Emmy for Best Lead Actress in an Outstanding Comedy Series…
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The New Season of ‘Transparent’ Is Full Of Palestinian Propaganda — And That’s Not Necessarily A Bad Thing
The oddest moment of my Birthright trip occurred during a trip to Har Hertzl, Israel’s national cemetery. After encouraging us to lay stones on the graves of Meir and Rabin, our guide paused for his main performance at the grave of Max Steinberg, the lone American soldier who was moved to make aliya and serve…
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It’s A Halloween Miracle! ‘Hocus Pocus’ Is Getting A Remake
Praise be to the demons below for they have delivered the most precious gift of all: a remake of the 1993 Halloween classic “Hocus-Pocus.” Deadline reports that the Disney Channel is starting production on the retelling of my personal favorite cinematic feature about witches. “Hocus-Pocus” tells the story of a young male virgin who tries…
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Remembering The Jewish Playmates Who Graced The Pages Of Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Legacy
Honoring The Jewish Playboy Playmates
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Holocaust Survivor Secures Guinness World Record For Most Recorded Pianist
Charles Segal has done more in his 88 years than most people. The Jewish musician has escaped the Holocaust, won a South African Grammy, rubbed elbows with Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra — and, most recently, been awarded the Guinness World Record for most recorded pianist ever. Segal’s been featured on over 200 commercial albums,…
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Most Popular
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Fast Forward Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements
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Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
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Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
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Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward A Jewish city attorney is going after pro-Palestinian protesters. Her Oct. 7 tweets are making it complicated.
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Fast Forward Kehlani responds to Cornell concert cancellation: ‘I am not antisemitic’
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Fast Forward David Horowitz, ’60s radical turned right-wing firebrand and critic of Islam, dies at 86
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News Pro-Nazi singer sells out Zagreb arena as Croatia’s collaborationist past sheds its taboo
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