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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Remembering Israeli Movie Mogul Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan, the flamboyant Israeli film producer who died at age 85 on August 8 in Jaffa, had more than 200 films to his credit. Along with his cousin Yoram Globus, the Golan-Globus partnership out-Hollywooded Hollywood with such international blockbusters as “Death Wish II” and “Delta Force“ starring Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin, Lanie Kazan and…
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Growing Up Orthodox With Robin Williams
School was out on that wintry day around Thanksgiving of 1993, and my mother was charged with taking care of me, my siblings, and my best friend of that particular week. It was too cold to play outdoors, so my mother, car-less for the day, schlepped all of us on the B44 city bus to…
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Robin Williams’ Most Jewish Moments
Robin Williams wasn’t Jewish. But he was close. Though raised Episcopalian in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (his mother was a Christian Scientist), the comedian had an affinity for Jews which shaped and even defined many of the roles he took on. He used Yiddish, danced a mean hora and did a killer Barbra Streisand impression. With…
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Jewish Celebrities Mourn Robin Williams
Robin Williams was my childhood. From “Mrs. Doubtfire” to “Hook,” to “Aladdin,” to “Jumanji,” I can’t even keep track of all the moments of glee and laughter that he bestowed on countless of fans. Since hearing about his apparent suicide at the age of 63 last night, I still catch myself remembering snippets of dialogue,…
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Should National History Museum Quit Being Jewish?
With attendance figures stagnant, Philadelphia’s National Museum of American Jewish History should change its name, retool its mission, and target broader audiences. That’s the message in a prickly editorial from Liberty City Press, an independent news service whose publisher boasts personal ties to the museum’s founders. Headlined “History Museums Sucking Wind on Independence Mall,” the…
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George Clooney’s Fiancee on Israel War Crimes Panel
Getty Images (Reuters) — Amal Alamuddin, the British-Lebanese lawyer engaged to George Clooney, was named with two other experts experts to an international commission of inquiry into possible human rights violations and war crimes committed by both sides during Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Alamuddin will join William Schabas, a Canadian professor of international…
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Looking for the Next Philip Roth
Last July, the Jewish Literary Journal (JLJ) celebrated its first anniversary. A year ago, co-founders and now editors-in-chief, Aaron Berkowitz and Ariel Stein, graduates of Yeshiva University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively, realized that there wasn’t an outlet specifically designed for Jewish writing, and so set out to create their own. “We saw one…
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Wanted: Israeli Soldiers’ Sperm
Getty Images Soldiers serving in combat units in the Israel Defense Forces are now being asked to make another sacrifice: donating their sperm. Israeli parents seeking sperm donors at the Rambam Medical Center have shown a noticeable preference for the sperm of combat soldiers in the wake of the Gaza conflict. In recent weeks, nearly…
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Which ‘Harry Potter’ Movie Does Daniel Radcliffe Hate?
Getty Images If you were under the age of 17 when Harry Potter received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, chances are, you have a favorite (“Deathly Hallows”) and least favorite movie adaptation (“Prisoner of Azkaban”). Turns out, Daniel Radcliffe does too. He hates “Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince,” the sixth installment of the blockbuster franchise….
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Maggie Gyllenhaal Just Learned Her Real (Jewish) Name
Getty Images Meet Margalit Gyllenhaal. You probably know her as Maggie. The actress revealed in an interview with ABC that she didn’t learn her full name until she was 35. In case you were wondering, Margalit means ‘pearl’ in Hebrew. How does that happen? Well, after marrying to Peter Sarsgaard 2009, Gyllenhaal says she wanted…
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Stephen Schwartz, of ‘Wicked’ Fame, A Hit at 54 Below
Stephen Schwartz, the only songwriter in Broadway history with three shows — “Wicked,” “Pippin” and “The Magic Show”— to have run more than 1900 performances on Broadway, was center stage (and at the piano) at the August 3 “Conversation with Music” at 54 Below – Broadway’s Supper Club. During the evocative interview by longtime friend,…
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