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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In Ultimate Twist of Irony, Someone Uploads The Fat Jew’s Book to Twitter
The Fat Jew, meet Karma. Karma, meet The Fat Jew. In a classic taste-of-his-own-medicine scenario, a Twitter user has uploaded every page of the Josh “The Fat Jew” Ostrovsky’s new memoir, “Money Pizza Respect.” Ostrovsky famously came under fire this summer for “curating” his popular Instagram account with unattributed memes and jokes created by other…
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Mark Zuckerberg Shares Adorable Annie Leibovitz Photo of Pregnant Wife
Mark Zuckerberg has posted a photo of pregnant wife Priscilla Chan that makes us wish Facebook had a double “like” function. The black and white image, shot by fellow tribe-member Annie Leibovitz, shows the Facebook CEO with arms around his wife. Their baby girl is due any minute now. “This is a stunning photo of…
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A Brief History of How Roger Waters Made ‘The Wall’ Anti-Israel
(JTA) — Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters is said to have written “The Wall” in 1979 as a metaphor for his internal isolation. But in recent years, he has increasingly politicized the seminal album, particularly to criticize Israel’s polices toward the Palestinians. In an interview with Rolling Stone on Monday, Waters said the message…
The Latest
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A Rabbi and a Futurist Trade Words of Wisdom
The futurist and the rabbi met on the stage at the Holocaust museum. They talked about evil and progress — and then everyone went upstairs for cocktails. “Our tools are better and better,” said the rabbi. “Our brains are not better.” “The amount of violence in the world is at its lowest level ever,” said…
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Beastie Boys Musical to Open in London
(JTA) — A musical play based on the lives and careers of the influential hip-hop group The Beastie Boys is to open in London. “Licensed to Ill,” named after the group’s first album, is scheduled to run from Nov. 23 to Dec. 12 at the Camden People’s Theater. The three core members of The Beastie…
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WATCH: Bernie Sanders Rocks to ‘Hotline Bling’
Late night when you need some socialist policies and love? Call Bernie Sanders on his cellphone! Ellen Degeneres has just created what is basically the best Bernie Sanders campaign ad, bringing together two Jewish greats: Vermont senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders and Canadian rapper and bar-Mitzvah boy Drake. After Bernie Sanders danced his way…
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Books The ‘Fat Jew’ Talks ‘Mutant’ Millennials and Going to the Strip Club After His Bar Mitzvah
Does this really surprise anyone? The week his first hardcover paper book comes out, “The Fat Jew” is declaring social media, where he has 6.5 million Instagram followers, to be . “I was very much born out of the Internet,” the funnyman (real name the Josh Ostrovsky) tells The Telegraph. “But my feeling is that…
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Jewish Rap Manager Sues ‘Straight Outta Compton’ for $110 Million
“Straight Outta Compton,” the musical biopic about boundary-breaking rap group N.W.A., cleaned up at box offices this summer — and made some enemies along the way. Jerry Heller, the group’s former manager, has filed a $110 million defamation lawsuit against multiple parties involved in the film’s production and distribution, including NBC Universal, former N.W.A. members Ice…
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Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg Incorporate Jewish Traditions in Nups
Actress Jamie Chung and actor-musician Bryan Greenberg married in a ceremony that incorporated “personal vows and Jewish traditions,” according to Martha Stewart Weddings. The wedding took place at a resort in Santa Barbara, California, on Saturday, several media outlets reported. Chung, 32, and Greenberg, 37, began dating in 2012 and became engaged in 2013. In…
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Nathan Fielder’s Holocaust Awareness Windbreakers Are a Hit With Celebs
Sometimes things that start as jokes grow to be legitimate ventures. Cough, Trump, cough. Same can be said of , comedian Nathan Fielder’s new outerwear company the proceeds of which go toward Holocaust awareness. No, we’re not joking. And neither are the celebrities that have taken a real liking to the quality of Summit Ice…
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My Last Memories of Yitzhak Rabin, 11 Days Before Assassination
The first time I met Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and his wife Leah, was at a November 12, 1993 reception held at the Jewish Museum, hosted by Israel’s Consul General at New York, Colette Avital which was attended by the then Who’s Who of the Jewish community. Among the guests Yitzhak Perlman and his…
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Fast Forward Rep. Max Miller says driver called him a ‘dirty Jew’ and threatened to kill his family. A local doctor turned himself in.
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News An Alabama millionaire offered Jews $50,000 to move to his town. 16 years later, what’s left?
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Culture Why is Israel’s attack on Iran called ‘Rising Lion’ — and what does the Bible have to do with it?
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News As Israel attacks, what is life like for Jews in Iran?
In Case You Missed It
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Culture How a Jewish reporter like me got addicted to Christian media
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Opinion Israeli leaders are using Holocaust comparisons to justify attacks on Iran. Is that kosher?
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Fast Forward Over half of Jewish students at Columbia experienced discrimination and exclusion after Oct. 7, survey shows
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Fast Forward Journalist board of Shtetl, news site covering haredi Orthodoxy, resigns after founder renounces mission
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