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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French Acclaim for Entrepreneurs
“Bon soir and bienvenue!” Marie-Monique Steckel president of Alliance Francaise (FIAF) welcomed the black tie and stunningly gowned international assemblage at The Plaza for its 2014 Trophee Des Arts oversubscribed Gala which honored interior designer Jacques Grange and Internet entrepreneur Fabrice Grinda. Jeremy Levine, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, presented the Pilier d’Or award…
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George Mosse Finds Himself in Comics
George Mosse was a German-born, Jewish cultural historian best known for his studies on Nazism. This comic, devised by Nick Thorkelson for the occasion of a “Mosse Fest” in Madison, Wisconsin, is based upon Mosse’s many important books on European cultural and political history, but also his life as lecturer and public personality from Wisconsin…
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Jewish ‘Werewolf’ of Argentina? Not So Fast.
Sorry, no Jewish werewolves for you! Remember that article about the Argentinian president adopting a Jewish boy to stop him from turning into a werewolf? The one that seemed too ridiculous to be true? Well, turns out that it was bogus. At least, according to The Guardian. The drama started when President Cristina Kirchner announced…
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Proud Hitler Impersonator Charges $90 for Photos
The real Adolf Hitler addresses Germany’s parliament. (JTA) — It sounds like the premise for a bad horror film: Adolf Hitler is reincarnated as someone who not only looks like him, but shares his views. Kosovo resident Emin Djinovci apparently believes such a film would be the story of his life. The 49-year-old Hitler impersonator,…
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Looking at Ramat Gan From the Inside Out
In a career that has spanned over 40 years, veteran Israeli filmmaker Ram Loevy has produced some of Israel’s most prominent and challenging television documentaries and features. Renowned for raising social and political issues, Loevy has addressed subjects such as class conflict, torture, the prison system and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His 1986 award winning drama,…
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A Year for Women in Comics
Jewish women have been pushing boundaries of comics for years, but 2014 proved an especially rich year for smart, challenging work from supremely talented artists. Some confront personal history. Last year, in “Letting it Go,” Miriam Katin beautifully captured her own ambivalence about visiting Germany — and the double edge every place holds for her…
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Abe Foxman Kvells as Son Ties Knot
(JTA) — Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, a Cuban-American who grew up in Orlando, Fla., didn’t know the Yiddish term for soul mate (bashert) when he bumped into Ariel Foxman on the uptown A train in March 2012. But it’s clear now that that one subway trip was an express route to destiny. In The New York Times’ Vows…
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‘Not the Messiah,’ Eric Idle’s Very Naughty (Jewish) Boy Oratorio
For longtime fans or those new to Monty Python’s wacky irreverence, the Collegiate Chorales’ New York City premiere of “Not The Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy)” — a comic oratorio with libretto by Eric Idle and score by John du Prez — at Carnegie Hall was a kick to the religious funny bone. With…
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Books The Most Jewish True Crime Book Ever
Photo: Germain McMicking/Riverhead Books John Safran’s literary debut, “God’ll Cut You Down: The Tangled Tale of A White Supremacist, A Black Hustler, A Murder, and How I Lost Year in Mississippi,” arrived in the U.S. with momentum. The Australian Crime Writers Association had already named it the best true crime book of 2014. New York…
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Ari Engel’s 5 Tips To Win at Poker
Ari Engel, the son of an Orthodox rabbi, has become one of the world’s best professional poker players over the last few years. Engel says poker is a game of skill, not chance. Here are his top five tips for becoming a better player. Patience is a virtue. I know you didn’t travel to the…
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It Was the Year of the Centenary
Photo copyright Getty Images It’s a common trope that the 20th-century — and with it, the modern era — didn’t really start until the outbreak of the First World War (represented in the images above and below). This year we marked the centenary of that event, ushering in not only the second century of the…
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