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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The Hot, Stressed, Ukrainian President Is Jewish — And Has A 10-Hour Netflix Series
Like every person with a mezuzah and a trachea, I believe that I speak for the Jews. And this is what I must say: a hot, confused Ukrainian man has become the linchpin in the Trump impeachment proceedings, and that man is a Jew. President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose profile I would swipe right on if…
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WATCH: The Curious History of Rosh Hashanah Cards
This article originally appeared in the Yiddish Forverts. This new video, a collaboration between the Israeli Youtube channel Unpacked and the Forverts, highlights some unknown facts about the venerable tradition of sending Rosh Hashanah greeting cards. Few people know, for instance, that the first Rosh Hashanah cards appeared in Germany in the 1400s or that…
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Here’s The Trailer For The Adam Sandler Movie About Shady Jewish Diamond Dealers
An obnoxious, money-obsessed, sexually harassing Jewish diamond dealer in midtown Manhattan gets caught up in a betting and debting scandal involving professional athletes. That’s the plot of “Uncut Gems,” a thriller by the filmmaking duo the Safdie brothers, due out this December. Before your fingers fall off in a rush to google “Safdie brothers Jewish?”…
The Latest
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‘Sorry, Not Sorry’: Demi Lovato Visits Western Wall, Sings With Israelis
Sing with us! What’s wrong with bein’ — what’s wrong with bein’ — what’s wrong with being con-secrated? “Confident” singer Demi Lovato visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem this week. The lovable diva, whose powerful vocals and public vulnerability have made her a particularly endearing star, is not in Israel for a tour or performance….
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Israeli Startups Aim To Make Israel The Land Of Milk, Honey, And Cannabis
At a midtown Manhattan hotel at the Israeli Cannabis Investor Symposium, a distinct stench hung in the conference room: air-freshener. Power points and glossy printouts sat where pipes and bongs might have enjoyed places of honor. Suits and polo shirts hung on bodies that seemed unlikely to have ever enjoyed the pleasant debilitation of a…
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Feminist Role Models Are Two Jewish Women
In the last month, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was treated for cancer for the fourth time, addressed a crowd of 16,000 in Arkansas, and met her “Saturday Night Live” impersonator, Kate McKinnon. And on Wednesday night, she found time to address her very own tribe. Well-heeled shul-goers, shaking and panting with the near-religious…
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Disney’s First Jewish Princess Debuts In Time For Hanukkah
This Hanukkah season, the Disney universe will finally gain a princess who’s a member of the Tribe. While Sarah Silverman sparked some hope and a lot of confusion last year by claiming her character in “Wreck-It Ralph” as the first Jewish princess, Disney has never included an officially kosher character. (We love Sarah, but a…
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Netflix’s Paul Rudd Series Gives Us What We Want: More Paul Rudd
It’s said that if you put two Jews in a room, you get three opinions. What happens when you try it with two Paul Rudds? In “Living With Yourself,” a Netflix original show set to drop October 18, Rudd stars as a capital-S schmuck with bad hair named Miles. (Though frankly, he still looks like…
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Toronto Strip Club Owner Was Also The ‘Best Zaidy You Could Have’
Girls! Girls! Girls! Rabbis! Rabbis! Rabbis! That’s the backstory of one of Toronto’s most colorful characters, who died this week at 84. But David Cooper, who owned the legendary Zanzibar strip club on Toronto’s bustling Yonge Street, was also a hugely successful real-estate mogul — and “the best zaidy you could have”, granddaughter Nicole Cooper…
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The Jewish Woman Who Was Just Cast On SNL Is One Of The Internet’s Funniest People
Ever since Vanessa Bayer, who gave the world Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy, the cast of Saturday Night Live has been in desperate need of funny Jewish women. (In fact, it’s not clear how they’ve been making the show up to this point without them.) The show that launched the likes of Gilda Radner, Rachel…
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Inside Susan Alexandra’s Bat Mitzvah-Themed Show At New York Fashion Week
Can a brand have a bat mitzvah? Last week, emerging accessories empire Susan Alexandra became an adult in the eyes of the fashion community. To showcase the brand’s new collection at New York Fashion Week, founder Susan Korn, staged a bat mitzvah-themed show that she described in a press release as “glittery, frilly, baby pink…
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