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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Jon Stewart Takes on the ‘War on Christmas’
Another year, another “War on Christmas” debate. This year’s complaints? The so-called liberal obsession with the word “holiday.” The National Republican Congressional Committee made the first move when they tweeted out their seasonal t-shirts boasting “‘Happy Holidays’ is for Liberals” with a (middle) finger-pointing “Merry Christmas” printed on the back. But Fox News, the real…
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Remembering Montreal in ‘Lies My Father Told Me’
The musical “Lies My Father Told Me,” The National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene’s most ambitious production to date, boasts an energetic talented cast of seventeen and a set by John Dinning worthy of a Broadway production. Based on the works of screenwriter/activist Ted Allen, it is set in 1920s Montreal’s Saint Urbain street. Originally written in English,…
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A Christmas Song, Brought to You by an Israeli-Iranian Duo
What’s the only thing that Israel and Iran can agree on? Christmas, apparently. Israeli singer Liel Kolet has teamed up with exiled Iranian singer Ebrahim Hamedi, 64, better known as Ebi, to release a holiday single called “I Can Hear Christmas,” Ynet reported. Originally written by Yoav Ginai and Tomer Addadi for Israeli singer Boaz…
The Latest
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Lady Gaga To Perform in Israel in 2014
(JTA) — Pop superstar Lady Gaga has plans to perform in the Holy Land in the summer of 2014, Israel’s Channel 2 reported. The show, which will be Gaga’s second in Israel, will likely take place in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park, and will likely not feature a kosher meat dress, although that would be pretty…
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Mila and Ashton Want Jewish Kids
Hollywood’s sexiest Jewish woman (really, Buzzfeed made it official) and the golden boy of Kabbalah have spoken: they want Jewish kids. According to RadarOnline, Mila Kunis “definitely wants children with Ashton [Kutcher] and wants to raise them in her Jewish religion.” A “source close to the couple” added that Mila’s family is “much more traditional…
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Daniel Menaker on The New Yorker and Making Mistakes
Five years after Daniel Menaker started working at The New Yorker in 1968 — first as a fact checker, then as a copy editor — he was told by the executive editor to look for another job. A lack of diligence, and because Menaker had criticized the content of a piece, something that was considered…
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ADL Blasts Kanye West Remarks
Kanye West is in hot water with Abe Foxman. The Anti-Defamation League’s national director issued a statement today denouncing the rapper’s comment over the weekend that : “Black People don’t have the same level of connections as Jewish people.” “If the comments are true as reported, this is classic anti-Semitism,” said Foxman. “There it goes…
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Gal Gadot Shares Her Grief Over Paul Walker’s Death
(JTA) Israeli actress and model Gal Gadot, who has been featured in some the “Fast and the Furious” flicks, went online Sunday to share her grief over the tragic car accident that took the life of franchise star Paul Walker. Walker, 40, was in the passenger seat of a two-seater Porsche Carerra GT Saturday when…
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Hillary Clinton Presents Theodor Herzl Award to Elie and Marion Wiesel
A radiant, Hillary Clinton in a midnight blue silk gown, bounded up the stage at the Waldorf-Astoria’s Starlight Roof to present the World Jewish Congress’ Theodor Herzl Award to Marion and Elie Wiesel at the Congress’ November 19 Award Dinner. “When I was First Lady, Elie spoke at the White House as part of a…
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Woody Guthrie Gets Onstage Musical Treatment
Woody Guthrie sang of America’s “redwood forests” and “gulf stream waters.” The traveling troubadour and American folk poet electrified a nation with his paeans to America’s indomitable spirit and beauty. Oklahoma-born and Texas-raised, he also ignited mighty debates with songs and writings that took on the establishment and sought to elevate the working masses. His…
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Theodore Bikel Talks Showbiz and Jewish Republicans
Merriam or Webster ought to place a photo of Theodore Bikel right by the dictionary definition of polymath. Bikel is the ultimate multi-hyphenate. In a career that spans 70 years — he joined Israel’s Habima Theatre as an apprentice actor in 1943 — he’s had enviable careers as a film actor, a stage actor, a…
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