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
-
Charoset-Flavored Ice Cream is a Thing. And It’s Kosher for Passover
It’s T-minus 12 days until Passover. So, while you’re getting your bread-binge on, consider this: There is a charoset-flavored Ben & Jerry’s pint waiting for you on the other side. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, charoset-flavored. And what’s more, it’s kosher for Passover (but only available in Israel — sorry guys!) Because there are about as many…
-
Enough With The ‘Ashkenormativity,’ Buzzfeed
Another day, another Buzzfeed Jewish-centric video. And much like their other chosen productions, it’s incredibly Ashkenormative. “11 Things Jewish Friends Just Get” tells the tale of two nominally Jewish ladies, who have to stick together in the face of incredibe goyish ignorance. Thank God someone in this room understands what “schlepping” means, amirite? Aside from…
-
Abraham Lincoln: Champion of Jews as Americans
It was an elbow-to-elbow noshing crush at the March 19 preview reception of the New-York Historical Society’s exhibition: “With Firmness in the Right: Lincoln and the Jews” which was inspired by the publication of “Lincoln and Jews: A History” (Thomas Dunne Books) by Jonathan D. Sarna (dubbed by the Forward in 2004 as one of…
The Latest
-
Can ‘2000 Year Old Man’ Live Without Mel Brooks?
Photo: Blake Ezra Comedy history was made in 1961 with the creation of Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner’s classic routine, “The 2000 Year Old Man.” Brooks played the oldest Jewish man in the world, interviewed by Carl Reiner in a series of skits that appeared on television and five award winning albums. Topics ranged from…
-
New Festival Celebrates Hebrew Language and Culture
Photo: Larson Harley A version of this post appeared in Yiddish here. As the musicians began playing the first strains of Sergei Prokofiev’s classic children’s symphony, “Peter and the Wolf,” on the stage of the Steven Wise Free Synagogue in Manhattan on March 15, the hundreds of children in the large, awe-inspiring sanctuary stopped their…
-
What Bibi Really Wants To Tell You
Want to know what Benjamin Netanyahu really wants to say? Jesse Lempel offers an unvarnished version of the Israeli premier’s message to American Jews To My Friends in the U.S., After receiving my congratulatory phone call and delightful shmooze with my close friend President Obama, I have chosen to reach out to you on the…
-
Mayim Bialik: ‘UCLA Isn’t Anti-Semitic’
Getty Images JTA) — The incidents at my alma mater, UCLA, in the past weeks have shaken us all. As a Bruin, to hear that members of the student government were considering not electing a perfectly competent student to a position because she was Jewish is astounding and frightening. As a Jew and a Hillel supporter…
-
Sarah Palin Congratulates Bibi
(JTA) — Sarah Palin has not one but two posts on her Facebook page congratulating Benjamin Netanyahu on his reelection. Maybe two makes up for none from President Barack Obama. In each post Palin says Americans in the heartland “will sleep better knowing Bibi remains the voice of reason and strength in the beautiful nation of…
-
How Jews Made Marriage Glamorous
“No man in Whitechapel drives a busier or a more paying trade than does the shadchan,” observed the writer Louise Jordan Miln in 1900. In fact, a ledger belonging to a shadkhen, or matchmaker, is one of the objects on display for the first time in “For Richer For Poorer: Weddings Unveiled,” the latest exhibition…
-
Why Jon Stewart Is Really Mad at ‘Racist’ Bibi
Jon Stewart is kind of mad at Bibi. Not so much for winning this week’s Israeli election, but rather for how he won. “How dare you gin up racist fears of minority turnout for short-term political gain? Stewart said, referring to Benjamin Netanyahu’s fear-mongering campaign, warning that Israeli-Arabs were out voting in droves.” “That’s our…
-
Zombies, Jews and Aliens — A Q&A With Lavie Tidhar
(JTA) — Forget Iran and anti-Semitism. Lavie Tidhar and British fantasy author Rebecca Levene’s newly released short-story anthologies “Jews Versus Aliens” and “Jews Versus Zombies” (both published by Jurassic London, with all profits going to MOSAC, a British group that assists victims of child sex abuse), have Jews literally taking on a whole new world of…
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward ‘I will never set foot there again’: Jewish Dems boycott Hymie’s deli in Philly after Trump ad
- 2
Fast Forward Every time Donald Trump has invoked Hitler and the Nazis
- 3
Fast Forward Trump said Hitler did ‘good things’ — he’s not the only one who thinks that
- 4
Opinion Shirel Golan survived the Nova massacre but died by suicide. Online denial may be to blame
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Harris and Trump find common ground after Israel retaliates against Iran
-
Culture How a brilliant Jewish philosopher anticipated the cult of Donald Trump
-
Fast Forward Phil Lesh, Grateful Dead bassist who hosted musical Passover seders, dies at 84
-
Fast Forward Holocaust survivor condemns Harris labeling Trump a ‘fascist’
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism