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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L.A. Shop Displays Holocaust Mannequin
Spotted: A mannequin dressed as a Holocaust victim on display at L.A. Jock in West Hollywood, California. Oy. But there’s more to the striped uniform and yellow star than meets the eye. The display is meant as a symbol of protest ahead of a rally tomorrow against Russian president Vladimir Putin’s anti-gay policies, according to…
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Woody Allen Gets Backing From Son Moses Farrow
(JTA) — The latest on the Woody Allen saga: His son Moses Farrow has spoken out in his defense in an interview with People magazine. Moses says he doesn’t believe Allen molested his sister Dylan Farrow. “Of course Woody did not molest my sister,” says Moses, who is estranged from Farrow and many of his…
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A Different Kind of ‘Right of Return’
The Jewish people’s “right of return” is a cornerstone of Zionist philosophy, and was enshrined into law shortly after the creation of the State of Israel. According to this principle, any Jew from around the world can relocate to Israel and become a citizen. Playwright Israel Horovitz’s “Lebensraum” — currently being revived in Los Angeles…
The Latest
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Joe Namath’s Jewish Fur Guy
You may not have followed the Super Bowl, but chances are you’ve heard about the dead animal gracing Joe Namath’s back during the coin toss. Namath’s fur coat comes to you courtesy of one Marc Kaufman, owner of Marc Kaufman furs, who apparently provided the former Super Bowl III hero with the Men’s Fur Coyote…
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Finding ‘Homeland’ at L.A. Women’s Theatre Fest
Photo Credit: Caideco Productions For 20-plus years, the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival has been one of L.A.’s top theater events, highlighting multi-cultural female performers for the live stage. This year, LAWTF — which begins properly on March 27 — is being preceded over three February weekends at the Fremont Centre Theatre by “From the…
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Marian and Abraham Sofaer Honored
“We love the Forward!” Marian Scheuer Sofaer and Abraham Sofaer exclaimed in tandem when I was introduced to the husband-wife honorees at the American Numismatic Society’s 2014 Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria. During our reception chat, the Sofaers confided, “Our favorite column is ‘Philologos.’ We’ve been Forward readers since we knew [about the paper]…. But, let’s…
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Natalie Portman Joins Israeli Push to Aid Syrian Refugees
(JTA) — We didn’t think it was humanly possible, but Natalie Portman has gone and inspired us yet again. This time, The Times of Israel reports, the actress, director, and adorable mom has donated money and clothing to Syrian refugees via Operation Human Warmth. The initiative is the result of several Israeli organizations—the youth group Hanoar…
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Barbara Walters Defends Woody Allen
On a recent segment of “The View,” Barbara Walters aggressively defended Woody Allen against the sexual abuse allegations put forward by adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in a recent open letter to the public. I know Mia, I have a good relationship with her,” Walters explained. “But I’ve been with Woody many times with his two…
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What To Do About Woody Allen?
The last thing I wanted to do was write a piece about Woody Allen. That might seem disingenuous, since here I am, writing a piece about Woody Allen. But after reading the open letter by Dylan Farrow, published February 1 on Nicholas Kristof’s blog in The New York Times, I would have liked to avoid…
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Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Jewish Role
I’ve been reading the many pieces remembering actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead at the age of 46 of an apparent drug overdose on Sunday morning. Everyone is praising him for his memorable performances in movies such as “Capote” (for which he won an Oscar in 2006), “Moneyball,” “Magnolia,” “Boogie Nights,” and “The…
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6 Lessons From This Year’s Jewish Super Bowl Ads
Well, the Super Bowl has come and gone. It’s time for the take-away: The Broncos really need a hug. Bruno Mars was meh. This was possibly the most Jewish Super Bowl of all time. If the whole SodaStream/Scarlett Johansson debate, and the availability of a game-time knish (for a whopping $6, mind you) didn’t tip…
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