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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Molly Antopol Wins Hadassah Fiction Award
Author Molly Antopol has been named winner of Hadassah Magazine’s 2015 Harold U. Ribalow Prize for Jewish fiction. Antopol, author of the short-story collection “The UnAmericans,” will be honored at a ceremony in New York on Dec. 1. The prize has been awarded annually for the past 31 years to authors who create “an outstanding…
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The Jewish Way To Celebrate World Octopus Day
Happy World Octopus Day! At the Forward we celebrated (well, I celebrated) by taking a plushie octopus, Inky, and introducing her to some essential spots for a true New York Jew. (I have only been a New York Jew for two weeks, so I didn’t really know where we were going – don’t tell Inky.)…
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Why Mets vs. Dodgers Is Most Jewish Baseball Playoff Series Imaginable
(JTA) — Baseball doesn’t get much more Jewish than this year’s MLB National League Division Series, which starts Friday between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both teams feature notable Jews: Joc Pederson in the outfield for the Dodgers and Joe Wilpon in the owner’s box for the Mets. Plus, you’ve got…
The Latest
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Unearthing Hitler’s Secret Stash of Booze
Willkommen, can we pour you a drink? We have a lovely Hitler cognac that will blitz your socks off! Restauranteur Silvio Stelzer of French cognac and Champagne belonging to history’s most hated man, one Adolf Hitler, under his restaurant — Zum Dreispitz — on the grounds of Moritzburg Castle, a mere 30-minute ride from Dresden,…
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Welcome to the Sexy Frum World of Orthodox Erotica
Most erotic fiction doesn’t come with an accompanying glossary of Yiddish terms. Unless, of course, your sexy fantasies involve Orthodox Jews. Shosha Pearl writes what she calls “Orthodox erotica,” a relatively new genre of erotic fiction about, and geared to, Orthodox Jews. Her first book, “I Will Watch You: Four Short Tales of Jewish Love…
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When Ben Bernanke Dealt With Questions About Jewish ‘Horns’
(JTA) — Ben Bernanke dealt with prejudice as a Jew crowing up in South Carolina — including being asked if he had horns — according to his new memoir. Several times, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve writes, elementary school classmates asked “quite innocently, I believe” whether he had horns. “Growing up in Dillon…
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Matisyahu Proud of Being Targeted by Israel Foes
American Jewish reggae singer Matisyahu said that he was proud to stand up to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement protestors who attempted to bar him from playing at a Spanish music festival. “I’m glad that it happened in the end,” Matisyahu told Haaretz on Wednesday after visiting former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres’ Peace…
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Howard Stern Rips Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters Over BDS in 7-Minute Rant
Radio personality Howard Stern ripped Roger Waters, the founding member of the rock band Pink Floyd, for his support of the boycott Israel movement. “What is with Roger Waters and the Jews?” Stern asked Tuesday at the beginning of a seven-minute rant on Sirius XM Radio during which he implied that Waters is an anti-Semite….
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt Talks ‘The Walk’
Heights don’t scare Joseph Gordon-Levitt, which came in handy when the actor was tasked with recreating Frenchman Philippe Petit’s audacious 1974 high-wire walk between the roofs of New York’s Twin Towers in the movie “The Walk.” The former “3rd Rock from the Sun” child star, now 34, talked with Reuters about training for the movie…
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‘Hamburger Hummus’ Mocks Clueless Americans in Israel
Shalom “Hamburger Hummus”! Welcome to my list of must-see fall programing! The follows six clueless American bloggers as they bumble their way around Israel. With titles like “Shalom, Shamericans!”, “Tech Aviv,” and “Shots Shots Shabbats,” the hilarious three-minute episodes follow the characters as they find out that yes, Israel has better medical marijuana than the…
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Al Hirschfeld Delights at New York Historical Society
Revisiting “The Hirschfeld Century: The Art of Al Hirschfeld” Exhibit now at the New York Historical Society was akin to a reunion with famous “friends.” Among its treasures: a 1964 image of Mostel as Tevye, a caricature montage of “the 9 Old Men of The Supreme Court of 1937” a jaw-dropping 75 strong Who’s Who…
Most Popular
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Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
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Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
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Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
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Fast Forward Columbia staff receive texts asking if they’re Jewish, as government hunts antisemitic harassment on campus
In Case You Missed It
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Opinion Is JB Pritzker’s very Jewish toughness the key to fighting Trump?
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Fast Forward Trump nominee Ed Martin, who praised a Nazi sympathizer, also compared Biden to Hitler
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Opinion RFK Jr. and Trump are talking about an ‘autism registry’ — this sounds disturbingly familiar
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Fast Forward Heavy police presence blocks anti-Israel protest in Brooklyn from reaching Jewish neighborhood
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