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
-
Weirdly Talented Rapping Orthodox Girls Star in Illicit Viral Hit
What goes on in high schools for ultra-Orthodox girls? Surprisingly good rapping, apparently. An illicit video of two Orthodox girls rapping and beat-boxing about the marriage prospects of their future daughters bubbled up through the dark net of Orthodox WhatsApp groups sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. The two weirdly talented ultra-Orthodox high school hip-hop stars perform…
-
WATCH: Adam Sandler Meets Look-Alike With Same Name as ‘Do-Over’ Character
No need to adjust your screen, you’re not seeing two Adam Sandlers but the comedian with his younger doppelgänger — who just happens to have the same name as Sandler’s “Do-Over” character. Max Kessler met Sandler on the film’s red carpet after receiving a personal invitation from the actor for the film’s premier. But you…
-
Randi Zuckerberg On Being a Woman at Facebook at Jewish Women’s Foundation Lunch
Randi Zuckerberg, (left) with Paula Zahn (right). The Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York May 16 Luncheon at the St. Regis honored three remarkable women— Roslyn (Roz) Goldstein, president of The Leslie & Roslyn Goldstein Foundation, Hon. Cheryl Winter Lewy, former mayor of The Village of Larchmont, N.Y., and Randi Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of…
The Latest
-
Trailer for Philip Roth Film “Indignation” Sets Logan Lerman Up as Star
It’s unlikely that when Logan Lerman stepped into his first starring role in the fantastical “Percy Jackon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” in which he played the titular Percy, many pegged him as a young actor who’d be perfect for the next Philip Roth adaptation. Yet the buzz is that Lerman, who stars as…
-
7 Things About Goldie Michelson, the Oldest Person in America
(JTA) — After the death last week of 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt-Jones, a 113-year-old Jewish lady named Goldie Michelson became the oldest living person in the United States. Goldie (neé Corash), as most who know her call her, is in great shape for her age, but she’s a little hard of hearing these days. So, Renee…
-
Itzhak Perlman Says Lifelong Values Forced Him To Scrap North Carolina Concert Over Transgender Bathroom Ban
Itzhak Perlman, the famed Israeli-American violinist who performed at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, has become the latest musician to cancel an appearance in North Carolina over the state’s recent bill curtailing antidiscrimination policies for people identifying as LGBT. “As my fans know, I have spent a lifetime advocating against discrimination towards those with physical disabilities…
-
Nora Ephron on Love, Life and Writing
Nora Ephron would have turned 75 today—and we’re celebrating all of the hilarity, wisdom and romance she’s brought into our lives with a few of her greatest quotes. On writing “I try to write parts for women that are as complicated and interesting as women actually are.” “A lot of college graduates approach me about…
-
National Park Service Celebrates Jewish American Heritage Month
May is National Jewish American Heritage Month, and the National Park Service is celebrating by highlighting some of their favorite Jewish sites included on the National Register of Historic Places. The list of locations they’ve highlighted so far span from Hyde Park, a Burkeville, Virginia farm that harbored and gave work to Jewish refugees from…
-
Susan Sarandon Slams Woody Allen: ‘Nothing Good To Say About Him’
Actress Susan Sarandon slammed Woody Allen at the Cannes Film Festival, saying she believed claims he sexually abused his daughter Dylan Farrow to be true. “I think he sexually assaulted a child and I don’t think that’s right,” Sarandon said Sunday according to Variety. “I have nothing good to say about him,” she added. “I…
-
Lena Dunham Drops Surprise New Book, Donates All Proceeds to Girls Write Now Organization
Mere days after her 30th birthday, Lena Dunham has dropped a new book, “Is It Evil Not to Be Sure?” with all proceeds going to the New York City-based nonprofit Girls Write Now. The book is comprised of Dunham’s diary entries from 2005-2006, or as the synopsis of the book describes it, “Creative Snippets and…
-
She Knows How To Look Gorgeous — Using Israeli Army Face Paint for Makeup
(JTA) — You may think camouflage face paint is about blending in. But done right, it can be the key to that standout military look you crave. Just ask American Israel Defense Forces soldier Hannah Laskow Defore. In a sendup of online makeup tutorials, the 19 year-old Los Angeles native, last week posted a Facebook…
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion I’m a Jew of color. Ta-Nehisi Coates can’t apply US lessons to Israel.
- 2
Culture Columbus may have had Jewish heritage — that doesn’t mean he was Jewish
- 3
Culture Why Doug Emhoff shared his bar mitzvah with a guy named Scott
- 4
Opinion Take it from someone who’s both Black and Jewish: Ta-Nehisi Coates weaponizes race to spread antisemitism
In Case You Missed It
-
Looking Forward Sinwar, Sukkot and what Netanyahu needs to do now
-
Culture Why we should listen to Ta-Nehisi Coates even if we may disagree with him
-
Sports The Jewish NBA players to watch as the 2024-2025 season tips off
-
Fast Forward Will Sinwar’s death end the Gaza war? The US hopes so, but Hamas and Netanyahu say they’ll keep fighting.
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism