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 Black and the Jew Comedy Hour’ Has Some Serious Love Advice for You
She’s black, he’s Jewish and together they’re going to fix your relationship — one comedy show at a time. For nearly 10 years, comedians and real-life couple Steve Epstein and Naimah Hassan have been holding mock workshops to educate audiences on “Black/Jew/Love” technology, a delightfully raunchy and insightful set of tools to help relationships last….
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Watch Rachel Bloom and Patti LuPone Dance the Hora on ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’
There’s a lot of glorious reasons to watch the new episode of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” 1) Patti LuPone will be making an appearance as Rachel Bloom’s rabbi. 2) The two will dance the hora together. 3) LuPone sings a whole guilt-inducing song about the Jews and suffering, accompanied by Tovah Feldshuh, who plays Bloom’s mother. Sample…
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This Israeli Fashion Photographer Is Making a Star-Studded Splash in America
If you were to ask Sharon Mor-Yosef why he left his niche as one of Holland’s leading fashion photographers to start over in Los Angeles, he would say that the European gloomy weather broke him. Well, that, and the fact that the 41-year-old Israeli is on a quest to climb up the Hollywood ladder and…
The Latest
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Natalie Portman, Andrew Garfield and More Perform a Politically Charged ‘I Will Survive’
There’s nothing like a little Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” to get you through some rough times. For Natalie Portman, Hailee Steinfeld, Andrew Garfield and lots more A-listers, those rough times mean the upcoming inauguration (and the four years to come). W Magazine captured a whole bunch of celebrities performing the 1970’s hit — with…
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The Unexpected Smash Success of Jewish Bluegrass Music
(JTA) — Saul Kaye never wanted to be a “Jewish blues” player. In his opinion, the Jewish music he had heard growing up in Northern California’s Bay Area ranged from “really bad to horrible.” In 2009, he was touring as a rock musician, playing hundreds of shows a year with various bands at bars and…
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10 Things About Hari Nef, the Trans Jewish Model Making History
During this year’s Golden Globes, an ad aired that made history. The L’Oreal Paris promo prominently featured 24-year-old model Hari Nef, who became the first transgender person ever to be featured in a primetime campaign. Participating in this historical moment isn’t even the coolest thing about Hari Nef. Here are ten more things about this…
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Watch Jerry Seinfeld and More Celebrities Say Goodbye to Obama
The stars are saying their final goodbyes to the Obamas. Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel Bloom and Judith Light were among the celebrities to bid farewell to the president and his family in a video shot by Vanity Fair. “Thank you for the grace and the dignity and the majesty they brought,” Parker said. “And for…
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7 Things You Need to Know About Ivanka Trump’s Future
Calls of nepotism and conflict of interest grumblings, be damned. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are moving to DC this month to plunge into politics. Here’s everything we know so far about Ivanka’s big move, where she stands with her brand and her future at the White House. Ivanka is stepping down from her executive…
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Natalie Portman Made Way Less than Ashton Kutcher for ‘No Strings Attached’
Today in sadly unsurprising news, Natalie Portman revealed that she made significantly less than Ashton Kutcher for the 2011 rom-com “No Strings Attached.” The 35-year-old actress told Marie Claire UK that Kutcher was paid three times more than her, despite the fact that both played starring roles in the film. “I knew and I went…
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This Filmmaker Captured Vanishing Jewish Communities Across America
Early on in the new documentary “There Are Jews Here,” Mickey Radman introduces himself as one of the last Jewish residents in Latrobe, PA. At 82-years-old, he quips that he’s considered the youngest of the town’s tiny Jewish community — a tight knit group of ten people, in a population of 8,195. The group is…
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6 Gifts for Jared Kushner’s 36th Birthday
Jared Kushner turned 36 today and we’re celebrating by brainstorming some nifty gifts for him, which could also double as useful items to bring along to his new job at the White House. A copy of “In Praise of Nepotism” by Adam Bellow, the perfect bedtime read anytime the naysayers get him down. This adorable…
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Most Popular
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Film & TV The new ‘Superman’ is being called anti-Israel, but does that make it pro-Palestine?
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Fast Forward Tucker Carlson calls for stripping citizenship from Americans who served in the Israeli army
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Opinion This German word explains Trump’s authoritarian impulses — and Hitler’s rise to power
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Music ‘No matter what, I will always be a Jew.’ Billy Joel opens up about his family’s Holocaust history
In Case You Missed It
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Opinion Americans keep getting killed in the West Bank. Here’s how the US could fight that awful trend
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Culture Katz’s Deli is a mecca for food influencers — it kills me to see them butcher its good name
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Film & TV Whoever said ‘you can’t take it with you’ never reckoned with this Jewish patriarch
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Fast Forward Students at Netanyahu’s Pennsylvania high school want him ejected from the alumni hall of fame
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