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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Shulem Deen On Leaving Hasidism — And His Children
Shulem Deen // Photo by Pearl Gabel (JTA) — Shulem Deen, the former Skverer Hasid who for years blogged under the pseudonym “Hasidic Rebel,” has just published a memoir, “All Who Go Do Not Return” (Graywolf Press). Deen, now 40, describes his sheltered life in New Square, the virtually all-Hasidic village an hour north of New…
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Why Medieval Art Is So Unflattering To Jews
Derick Baegert, ‘Crucifixion,’ Dortmund, ca. 1475. Propsteikirche, Dortmund. “Dark Mirror: The Medieval Origins of Anti-Jewish Iconography,” by Sara Lipton, Metropolitan Books, 416 pages, $37 Those wishing to gain insight into the maturation of Jewish studies over the past few decades would be well served to immerse themselves in Sara Lipton’s recent book, “Dark Mirror: The…
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Barry Manilow Ties the Knot With Manager
Getty Image If you’ve got a secret to keep, Barry Manilow’s your man. The Jewish crooner has reportedly married his longtime manager Gary Keif in a private ceremony. The catch? The pair managed to keep it under wraps for an entire year. People Magazine reports that the surprise wedding was attended by “20 or 30…
The Latest
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Synagogue’s Giant Solution for Hametz Problem
Zak DeOssie of the New York Giants pays a Passover visit to Congregation Ansche Chesed. Courtesy of Jeremy Kalmanofsky For many a year, on the day before Passover, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky of Congregation Ansche Chesed on Manhattan’s Upper West Side inked a sales contract with his synagogue’s non-Jewish custodian, Tony Visioso. According to tradition, Visioso…
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Stand Up for Ruth Bader Ginsburg Ice Cream!
Full disclosure: I love Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I even wrote a list of 52 reasons why she is my favorite human. So, it is in total subjectivity that I ask you all to vote for her to get her very own Ben & Jerry ice cream flavor. Personal feelings aside — how could you say no…
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Sigalit Landau Brings Jerusalem Snow to Canada
Sigalit Landau is known for provocative work, like the notorious video piece that showed her spinning a barbed wire hula-hoop, naked. But Landau’s new show might be her saltiest yet. The haunting assemblage of objects in “Snow in Jerusalem,” which runs through April 25 at Toronto’s Olga Korper Gallery, includes a bridal gown, violin, and…
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Why Did Jill Duggar Name Her Son Israel?
Jill Duggar with baby Israel // Facebook Let’s get something out of the way. There is nothing Jewish about the Duggars. And yet, Jill Duggar, the 23-year-old daughter, and fourth child in the family who brought you TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” has chosen to name her newborn son Israel David. Israel may seem like…
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Jon Stewart Defends Trevor Noah on ‘Daily Show’
Twitter may be up in arms about Trevor Noah, but Jon Stewart’s got his back. The “Daily Show” host stood up for his replacement during the show’s opening segment Monday night, after the South African comedian got blasted for some old tweets deemed sexist, transphobic and anti-Semitic. “I know there was a large kerfuffle on…
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Neurosurgeon Henry Brem Honored At Castle Connolly Dinner
Among the outstanding physicians honored at the March 23 Castle Connolly Top Doctors 10th Anniversary Awards dinner at The Pierre was Dr. Henry Brem, a son of Holocaust survivors, whose roster of titles and credentials includes Director, Department of Neurosurgery, Director, Hunterian Neurosurgical Research Laboratory–Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, Md.). John J. Connolly…
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Does Don Draper Want to be Jewish?
Don Draper and Rachel Menken in “Mad Men“‘s first season // AMC (JTA) — Spoiler alert: The post below discusses the content of “Mad Men” Season 7, Episode 8 (“Severance”) In the weeks before the beginning of the final season of “Mad Men,” the show’s creator Matthew Weiner did rounds of interviews on his Jewish…
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Jewish Dermatologist to the Stars Found Dead in Miami
Dr. Frederick Brandt, Jewish cosmetic dermatologist to the stars, was found dead on Sunday in his Miami home. His publicist, Jacquie Trachtenberg, confirmed the death to The New York Post: “He passed away this morning. He was suffering from an illness. Everyone who knows him is devastated… I worked with him for over 20 years…
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