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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Your exclusive Jewish guide to the Met Gala
It’s always a bit hard to tell what that Met Gala’s theme is just by looking at what people wore on the red carpet — some celebrities get so creative that the point is buried, and some go with conservatively classic looks that clearly ignored the directive. This year was no exception; the theme was…
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Larry David loves fashion, just not at New York Fashion Week
Being famous comes with obligations — meet-and-greets, red carpets, late night shows. It might sound glamorous, but also, sometimes, you’d rather curl up on the couch and watch “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and fall asleep. At least, that seems to be how Larry David feels about it. During New York Fashion Week, which concluded on Sunday,…
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Five questions for ‘Call My Agent’ star Liliane Rovère
Liliane Rovère prefers to stay home. The French actress, 88, racked up dozens of credits before finding international fame with “Call My Agent,” in which she plays the fast-talking, reefer-smoking talent agent Arlette. In a world where older women rarely get any screentime, much less the chance to take center stage, the actress has become…
The Latest
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Netflix wants you to believe ‘My Unorthodox Life’ is a feminist fairytale — is it?
As a teenager, I spent a lot of time arguing with my mother about what clothes qualified as “feminist.” To her, feminism was a knee-length dress and a blazer. To me, it was a miniskirt. She wanted to defy the sexist conventions that equate style with exposed limbs. I wanted to protest a high school…
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Did a celebrity chef rip off Russ and Daughters’ design?
Update, 6/6/21: As of Thursday, both parties have removed their original posts and arrived at an amicable resolution. After representatives from The Borscht Belt clarified that the design process had been outsourced to another company, and that its owners, including Nick Liberato had not been personally involved, Russ and Daughter posted on Instagram wishing “Nick…
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In ‘Here Today,’ Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish give us the Jewish story we weren’t looking for
At the Schmooze, we watch a lot of movies about Jews. But we also spend a lot of time waiting with bated breath for stories about Jews. We wait for stories in which Jews aren’t ancient heroes or stoic sufferers or caricature-ish sidekicks that set off all your internal alarms. Stories in which Jewish milestones…
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Jon Ossoff wants you to know that all vaccines are created equal
A startling number of people have inexplicably agreed that Pfizer is the best coronavirus vaccine. In between frantically refreshing the Walgreens website, navigating byzantine vaccine portals on behalf of aged parents, and posting selfies with sore arms, the American public has taken time to rank the various coronavirus vaccines. On social media, a consensus has…
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‘Unorthodox’ stars Shira Haas and Amit Rahav win big at Independent Spirit Awards
Israeli cinema darling Shira Haas continued her international ascent this week, scooping up a top prize at the Independent Spirit Awards. The “Unorthodox” star was awarded Best Female Performance in a Scripted Series, with her co-star Amit Rahav winning the same prize in the category for male actors. This is just the latest in a…
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The Jewish values behind Bernie’s infamous mittens
At this point, you probably know more than you ever anticipated about Bernie Sanders’ infamous inauguration mittens. But did you know they were made in accordance with Jewish values? Vermont teacher Jen Ellis, who makes mittens out of recycled sweaters and gifted a pair to Sanders after he lost the 2016 presidential nomination, teamed up…
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Drop everything and read this romance novel about Reform Judaism
When romance author Rosie Danan first conceived of an affair between a rabbi and a former sex worker, she took the idea to her aunt — who was very much against it. “You can’t,” Danan recalled her aunt saying. “It’s just not realistic.” To settle the matter, she fired off an email to the family’s…
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The Jewish Netflix show you haven’t heard about yet
“Family Business,” Netflix’s latest and most valiant stab at the Jewish sitcom, is many things. It’s a sort-of-kind-of compelling portrait of a family in crisis. It’s a confused comment on the current state of French Jewry. It is, depending on how you look at it, an argument for or against the legalization of marijuana. But…
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Opinion Outrage over Nicholas Kristof’s op-ed on sexual assault of Palestinians is missing the point
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News They texted about Torah and mitzvahs. Feds say they were insider trading
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Culture At Eurovision, Israel’s near triumph shows the limits of tolerance
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Opinion I run The Jewish Theological Seminary. Here’s the real story about President Isaac Herzog speaking at our commencement
In Case You Missed It
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News Mamdani’s first Jewish Heritage event reveals a narrowed circle
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Culture The Israeli song that almost won Eurovision was about far more than the breakup of a love affair
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Yiddish אַ ייִדישער כאָר אין סאַאָ־פּאַולאָ, בראַזיל געפֿינט זײַן קול פֿון דאָס נײַA Yiddish chorus in Sao Paulo, Brazil finds its voice again
דער נײַער אַלבאָם „שמשׂ“ פֿאַרבינדט די ייִדישע מוזיק מיט אַנדערע דיאַספּאָרישע טראַדיציעס.
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News Israeli flag attack ad prompts antisemitism charge in PA state race — yet boosts the Jewish candidate