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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Mark Podwal’s Mozart and Prague in NYC
“When I first went to Camp Cejwin at 12, I knew nothing about Judaism. By the end of the summer, I was able to lead services in Hebrew and decided to go to Hebrew School before my Bar Mitzvah” renowned Judaica artist Mark Podwal, whose current project is a series of posters for each new…
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Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky Face Off (Again) in New Chess Drama
Chess isn’t what you’d call a blood sport. Unless, of course, it’s 1972 and your name is Bobby Fischer. At the time, the face-off between the chess-prodigy from Brooklyn and Russian champ Boris Spassky had the world riveted. And soon, you’ll be able to relive the whole thing on the big screen. Tobey Maguire and…
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Aspen Chabad Announces ‘Special’ Pot Classes, Then Quickly Cancels Them
The Chabad of Aspen, Colorado, announced that it would host some “special” classes this summer—painting classes helped along by cannabis, smoked and edible, the reported last week. But the whole event was quickly cancelled, when it turned out that the classes hadn’t been cleared with the authorities. The so-called “Art with Mary Jane” classes were…
The Latest
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USS Intrepid ‘Salute to Freedom’ Gala Looks to the Future
Among the 650 black tie civilians, admirals, generals, officers and enlisted personnel aboard the hangar deck of the USS Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum for the May 21 “Salute to Freedom” 24th Gala were event co-chair Bruce Mosler of Cushman & Wakefield, Fisher Brothers chairman emeritus Arnold Fisher, Howard Lutnick of Cantor Fitzgerald, and…
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Lorde’s ‘Team’ Gets a Yiddish Cover
Do you wish pop star Lorde would lay down a track in Yiddish already? Well, the next best thing just happened. The Technicalities, an Israeli husband-and-wife Yiddish music duo in their early 30s, recently recorded this cover of Lorde’s hit song “Team.” Shira Z. Carmel — who also sings in the popular Israeli doo-wop band…
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Want to See What Israel’s Burning Man Looks Like?
Israel’s answer to , the quirky, sustainable ‘Midburn’ (a play on the Hebrew word for desert ‘midbar’), took place last week, despite conflicts with Israeli police, who threatened to cancel the event. For five days, thousands of Israelis lived in temporary structures, exchanged gifts, wore their shortest and most flamboyant clothes and partied in the…
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Ben Stiller Posts Touching Tribute to Anne Meara
Ben Stiller took to social media to pay a special tribute to his late mother, comedian Anne Meara, who died on Saturday at age 85. The actor, in Rome filming Zoolander 2, first thanked fans for their support during this difficult time. Thank you so much for all the kind words about Anne. All of…
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Bernie Sanders Rocks the ‘404’ Error Message Primary
The election cycle has only just begun, but the 404-error presidential competition is well under way. In the lead: Bernie Sanders with this oh-so-lovable, could-be-your-grandpa-like message to the frustrated internet users who have come across a buggy version of his sleek campaign website. “Hi, this is Senator Sanders,” “The good news is, you’re on the…
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Jon Stewart is a Mensch: The Veterans Edition
We all know Jon Stewart has been an outspoken opponent of the Iraq war, I mean, , to see how fresh his disdain still is. But apparently, that hasn’t stopped him from being the mensch he is and giving back to our men and women in uniform. No, Jon Stewart isn’t just donating money, he…
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Watch Amy Schumer School the Men of ‘The Bachelorette’
Trust Amy Schumer to bring some perspective to ‘The Bachelorette.’ Our favorite sassy comedian — and real life ‘Bachelorette’ fangirl — appeared on the hit show on Monday night to mentor the guys in anticipation of their stand-up comedy group date. But in true Amy fashion, she took the opportunity to school them on how…
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Anne Meara, Ben Stiller’s Chutzpahdic Mom, Dies at 85
Anne Meara, acerbic, no khokmes (no BS) comedian wife of Jerry Stiller and mother of actor Ben Stiller who died at 85 on May 23, 2015, has, over the decades, been a frequent visitor in this column. When Anne and Jerry were honored with the Alan King American Jewish Humor Award at the November 25,…
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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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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
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