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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7 Reasons Why Kate Berlant Should Be Your New Favorite Comedian
Kate Berlant, who once described her features as “violently Hasidic” in a New Yorker interview, is funny. She’s really, really funny. A long time fixture in the New York City comedy scene, Berlant is known for what you might call “academic satire” and performs alongside a peer group that includes Cole Escola of “Difficult People”,…
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On The 20th Anniversary of ‘Harry Potter,’ the Chosen People Celebrate The Chosen One
20 years ago today, Americans were introduced to the boy who lived, in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The world is overflowing with magic and joy and Potter-style resistance. While we wait on J.K. Rowling’s next work of witchcraft and wizardry, consider — would you read these books? “Harry Potter And The .2% Of…
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Web Searches For Suicide Soared After ’13 Reasons Why’, According To New Research
Do storytellers have a responsibility for their audience’s well-being? This debate has raged with the recent realization by Hollywood studios that depictions of stigmatized topics (suicide, eating disorders, sexual assault, to name a few) are a lightning rod both for viewers and controversy. Detractors of such productions received some hard evidence to support their claims…
The Latest
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Only 50% Of Forward Staffers Get This Seinfeld Joke — Do You?
If Jews can’t understand a Jerry Seinfeld “Jew-joke,” what have these thousands of years of struggle been for? During “Norm Macdonald Live!” this week, a segment that surely will be the topic of many a millennial Jew’s future dissertation featured Seinfeld telling what he calls “the greatest Jew joke I’ve ever heard” while insisting that…
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Tomi Lahren Gets Health Insurance Through Obamacare — Even As She Supports Its Destruction
If God has a sense of humor, it surely involves a deep appreciation for irony. At the highly anticipated PolitiCon debate between deceptively good-looking nutjob Tomi Lahren and female deviant Chelsea Handler, Lahren admitted that she, a 24-year-old child who hates poor people, is still on her parents’ insurance plan. In other words: Tomi Lahren…
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#NoConfederate Goes Viral During ‘Game Of Thrones’ To Protest New ‘Slavery Fan Fiction’ Series
Once again, Twitter demonstrates how it has forever changed the way people protest. Whereas once you had to heave your broken body from the couch and take to the streets, you can now relay your message from the comfort of your own home using whatever revolutionary hashtag happens to be trending. Sunday evening saw the…
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Mandy Patinkin Drops Out Of Broadway Show In Support Of Booted Actor Of Color
In an attempt to salvage the box-office cred of “Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet Of 1812”, first-time producers Howard and Janet Kagan tapped veritable Broadway superstar Mandy Patinkin to take over the role that was previously occupied by “Hamilton” actor, Okieriete Onaodowan. But the celebratory champagne had barely been popped before Patinkin abruptly dropped…
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John Mayer Defends Justin Bieber’s Decision To Cancel His Tour
John Mayer, the half-Jewish favorite lover of future VMA host Katy Perry, has been known to tweet a lot of things, most recently this: Where are we on body wash? — John Mayer (@JohnMayer) July 27, 2017 That’s why it came as no surprise when the most exhausting white man in the music business took…
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The Pfeffermans Return To The Motherland In Season 4 ‘Transparent’ Trailer
Just when you thought “Transparent” couldn’t get any more Jewish, the writers’ room books tickets to Israel for the entire Pfefferman family. The woefully dysfunctional and infinitely lovable clan will be touching down in the Motherland this season to get yet further in touch with their roots. The trailer, released Friday morning, teases the Pfefferman’s…
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Can Sarah Silverman’s ‘Aggressively Dumb’ New Hulu Series Heal America?
One need not be intimately familiar with Sarah Silverman to grasp her fiery hatred for the President of the United States. She’s been known to express her feelings on Twitter in no uncertain terms. If you haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing them, I’ve included a couple below that aptly sum up her sentiment towards…
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The Goy Round Up :John McCain Votes NO, Lana Del Rey Casts A Spell On Donald, And More
1.John McCain Votes NO On Senate Healthcare Repeal The only thing The Schmooze loves more than drama is healthcare and Senator John McCain delivered both to us Friday morning when he cast an epic vote against the GOP’s “skinny” repeal of Obamacare. McCain’s flawless shade threw Trump into a tweetstorm of Biblical proportions and it’s…
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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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News Why Zohran Mamdani believes he’ll win over Jewish voters, as Israel critic surges to second behind Cuomo in NYC mayoral race
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward Reconstructionist leader to step down as head of movement riven by tension over anti-Zionism
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Culture Alfred Dreyfus was not the man you think he was — and the history of Jews in France is a little different too
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Yiddish World This synagogue ‘gets’ why you need Yiddish on Yom Hashoah
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Culture A subreddit notorious for Holocaust denial is back online — now as a memorial
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