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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My First Halloween After Escaping the Nazis
My mother and I arrived in Montreal, Canada in September 1941 following a death-defying escape that took us from bombed-out German-occupied Warsaw in the winter of 1940 to surviving a Nazi firing squad, to Lithuania’s Vilno (which in June 1940 was occupied by the Soviets). Then a 12-14-day Trans-Siberian train ride to Vladivostok and the…
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Broad City is Bringing Jewish Justice to Halloween
I’m dying to see season 3 of “Broad City” set to premiere in February 2016. But to make the wait a little easier, Abbi and Ilana have been regaling us with little video sketches. You know, so we won’t miss them too much. The last one was a perfectly Jewy Yom Kippur sketch and their…
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Watch Hitler Discover the Internet in This German Trailer
Have you ever wondered what Hitler would do with access to Google? No? Well here’s your chance to find out. “Er ist wieder da” (Look Who’s Back) premiered in Germany earlier this month and quickly stole the top spot at the country’s box office. The film, based on Timur Vermes’ 2012 novel by the same…
The Latest
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Adam Sandler’s ‘The Ridiculous 6’ Trailer is Here
Is Adam Sandler the Jewish John Wayne? Meh, not quite. Netflix released the trailer for “The Ridiculous 6” just months after Native American in protest of the movie’s racist and steryotypical portrayal of their culture. The first look at the trailer doesn’t include any of the terrible lines like “I put my pee-pee in your…
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The Naked Woman Who Soaked In Hitler’s Bathtub
A young American woman soaks in Adolf Hitler’s bathtub, her muddy boots staining his bath mat, and an official portrait of the Fuehrer sits on the tub’s edge. The woman is Lee Miller, the only female combat photographer in Europe during World War Two. She is pictured in Hitler’s Munich apartment on April 30, 1945,…
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Rachel Dratch Clears the Air With Seth Meyers, Buys $1.6 Million Co-op
SNL alums Rachel Dratch and Seth Meyers did a hilarious bit the other night, facing down each other’s faux list of grievances in what was supposed to be an evening of atonement. It got harder and harder, especially for Meyers, to forgive as Dratch’s escalating list of transgressions — from getting him a full body…
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‘God’ Actor Morgan Freeman Seeks Answers in Jerusalem
He may have depicted God in Hollywood films, but Morgan Freeman came to Jerusalem with questions about religion still unsettled. “I’m primarily interested in why, what is the why of it,” the Academy Award-winning actor told Reuters on Wednesday during a break in shooting “The Story of God,” a National Geographic and Highlight Films documentary…
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Lena Dunham Will Dress as Planned Parenthood Doctor for Halloween
Lena Dunham just won Halloween. In the age of costumes, a woman during Halloween finds herself looking at paltry options full of “sexy” this and “sexy” that costumes. So when Lena Dunham reminisced about her past costumes and announced that she plans to dress up as a Planned Parenthood doctor in Tuesday’s Lenny Letter, the…
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Alexandra Lebenthal Honored at Savvy Ladies Gala
“Our job is to make women look great, feel great and approach their personal, social and professional lives with a high degree of confidence” said Alex Bolen, CEO Oscar de la Renta, and sponsor of the Savvy Ladies /Financial Empowerment’s Benefit Gala which honored — among others — Alexandra Lebenthal, President and CEO, Lebenthal Holdings. Held at…
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Jenna Jameson Plans Reality Show on Conversion to Judaism
Former porn star Jenna Jameson will be the subject of a reality show documenting her conversion to Judaism and her upcoming marriage in Israel. Jameson’s Israeli fiance, diamond merchant Lior Bitton, told Israel’s Walla news that the show is in its early production stages, the Times of Israel reported Tuesday. It is unclear where the…
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Why Dumbledore Wouldn’t Back BDS
Last week, J.K. Rowling joined 150 British artists, actors and politicians in opposing a cultural boycott of Israel, published in The Guardian. The network, which calls itself Culture for Coexistence, argued that continued engagement with Israel is the only way to end the cycle of violence in the region.”Cultural engagement builds bridges, nurtures freedom and…
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