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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Joe Biden Gets Freedom Award And Salutes Gabby Giffords At Intrepid Gala
At the May 26 Salute to Freedom 25th Anniversary Gala aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum I congratulated Vice President Joe Biden on being the 2016 Intrepid Freedom Award recipient. When, during dinner I mentioned that I was a Holocaust survivor, he unexpectedly kissed me on both cheeks. Grasping both my hands in…
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RBG Fans, Say Hello to Ruth Bader Gins-bug
Alright, folks: you love her on the bench, you love her on the internet, and now you get to love her as she affectionately decapitates the male with whom she’s just mated. Yes, that’s right, there is now an official Ruth Bader Ginsburg praying mantis, and we are all blessed. (For the scientific record, only…
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Bette Midler Named Her Chickens After Kardashians — and Kim Died of a Yeast Infection
Shut down the Internet, Bette Midler is the queen of trolling! The storied singer revealed to People that she named the chickens in her upstate New York home after the Kardashian sisters but, alas, tragedy struck a few years ago when Kim died of a yeast infection — MIC DROP. “We have the Kardashian sisters,…
The Latest
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Folksbiene’s KulturfestNYC Prepares to Take City By Storm
In 2015, the National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene celebrated its 100th anniversary in grand style, producing, in June, KulturfestNYC, New York’s first international Jewish performing arts festival, and in December, a highly-acclaimed revival of Yiddish operetta “The Golden Bride.” In 2016, they have no intention of letting that momentum go. Starting June 6th KulturfestNYC is back, expanded,…
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Comedian Natasha Leggero, Newly Jewish, Says ‘Abortions are Cool’ in Judaism
Speaking on late-night TV about her recent conversion to Judaism, stand-up comedian and actress Natasha Leggero said one of her new faith’s positive qualities is that “abortions are cool.” Appearing last week on the TBS show “Conan” with Conan O’Brien, the Catholic-born Leggero — who stars on the Comedy Central series “Another Period” — said,…
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New Rachel Weisz Film ‘Denial’ Given September Release
“Denial,” the film adaptation of Deborah Lipstadt’s book “History on Trial: My Day in Court With a Holocaust Denier” has a release date: September 30, 2016. The film will tell the story of Lipstadt’s legal struggle with controversial English historian David Irving, who filed a libel suit against her after she described his writings as…
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Lesbian ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Star Says Israeli Women Are All Hot
(JTA) — On her first visit to Israel for Tel Aviv’s gay pride week, “Orange is the New Black” star Lea DeLaria was wowed by the attractiveness of Israeli women. “There are apparently no ugly women in Israel,” DeLaria, who plays a butch lesbian prison inmate on the hit Netflix comedy and is gay in real life, Ynet Tuesday…
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Larry David Has Met His Match in ‘Maya & Marty’s’ Anti-Semitic (Yet Hilarious) Jiminy Glick
A latex fat suit, a double chin and some ridiculous anti-Semitic remarks had Larry David bellowing with laughter on Tuesday night’s premier of “Maya & Marty,” a new NBC variety show helmed by Maya Rudolph and Martin Short. Sitting down for an interview with Short’s famous SNL character, cheeky celebrity reporter Jiminy Glick, David was…
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Jewish Groups Welcome Facebook, Twitter Pledge to Crack Down on Hate Speech
Jewish groups welcomed a pledge by four internet giants to crack down on online hate speech, though some questioned the firms’ commitment to act. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft on Tuesday signed a code of conduct with the European Commission that requires them to delete the majority of reported illegal hate speech within 24 hours,…
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How Super-Buff Reality Show Star Named Tiltil Stopped Israeli Terror Attack
Donald Trump has done his part to blur the line between reality television and reality for Americans, transitioning from fake boss in The Apprentice to an actual contender to U.S. presidential candidate on the evening news. On Monday, it was the Israeli public’s turn to blink during their newscast and wonder if perhaps they were…
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Drake Has a (Very Jewish) Crush on Sarah Silverman
News flash: The most famous Jewish rapper on earth has a crush on one of the most famous Jewish comedians on earth. As explained on “” Thursday night, Drake recently posted a photo of Sarah Silverman from her “Saturday Night Live” days on Instagram with the caption “WCE” — internet lingo that stands for “woman…
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Opinion I’m a Jew of color. Ta-Nehisi Coates can’t apply US lessons to Israel.
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Culture Columbus may have had Jewish heritage — that doesn’t mean he was Jewish
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Culture Why Doug Emhoff shared his bar mitzvah with a guy named Scott
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Opinion Take it from someone who’s both Black and Jewish: Ta-Nehisi Coates weaponizes race to spread antisemitism
In Case You Missed It
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Looking Forward Sinwar, Sukkot and what Netanyahu needs to do now
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Culture Why we should listen to Ta-Nehisi Coates even if we may disagree with him
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Sports The Jewish NBA players to watch as the 2024-2025 season tips off
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Fast Forward Will Sinwar’s death end the Gaza war? The US hopes so, but Hamas and Netanyahu say they’ll keep fighting.
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