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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‘Stars of David’ — Oy the Guilt!
“How am I Jewish?” “How Jewish am I?” “Let me count the ways… Do I really want to be Jewish?” “Why wasn’t I more Jewish?” are among the soul- searching, often uneasy questions at the heart of the laughter-eliciting, at times guilt-riddled “Stars of David” musical journey at the D-R-2 Theatre off Union Square. Superb…
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Seeing David Cronenberg in Double Vision
Nearly 50 years since his first student films, David Cronenberg is getting a pair of well-deserved tributes in his hometown of Toronto. For the Jewish-Canadian filmmaker, it’s been an unlikely ascent from genre outlaw to artistic heavyweight. And twinned exhibitions make the case that his intellectual and cultural significance extends far beyond his onscreen output….
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A Bloody Beheading for Hanukkah
There’s no way of getting around the violence in the noteworthy, but often neglected, Hanukkah-related story of Judith and Holofernes. Judith’s heroic action, the political assassination of the Assyrian general Holofernes, is one of the reasons, some say, why one Jewish legal code states that women shouldn’t work while the Hanukkah candles are burning. Here’s…
The Latest
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The ‘Girls’ Season 3 Trailer is Upon Us
It’s here! The ‘Girls’ Season 3 trailer has hit the Internet. Catch up with Hannah, Shosh, Marnie and Jessa below: The third season of “Girls” will premiere on HBO on January 12, 2014.
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Israeli Producer Says He Was a Secret Agent
The rumors were true. For years, the gossip was that the Israeli-born producer Arnon Milchan (“12 Years a Slave,” “The King of Comedy”) was a secret agent for his homeland. More recently, a 2011 book maintained that Milchan, chairman of New Regency, was recruited by Shimon Peres as a liaison for LAKIM, the Bureau of…
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50 Years Ago: The Forward Building Mourns JFK
Fifty years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas. Here’s how the Forward mourned: Forward Association
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Al Hirschfeld Celeb Drawings Go 3D on 5th Ave
Henri Bendel’s holiday window on Fifth Avenue and 56th Street in Manhattan was revealed November 14. It is a bursting celebration of the great Al Hirschfeld and his long life (1903–2003) creating celebrity drawings with his daughter’s name, Nina, hidden within the lines of hair and fabric folds. The twist is you’ve never seen these…
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Why Kevin Spacey Bought Woody Allen a Netflix Subscription
Kevin Spacey needs no business cards. He has “House of Cards.” In an interview with GQ for their “Men of the Year” issue, Spacey explained why he recently gave Woody Allen the gift of a Netflix subscription (and just in time for Hannukah!): “I believe this: If an actor wants a role or wants to…
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‘Bad Grandpa’ Comes to Synagogue
Wanna see ‘Bad Grandpa’ or ‘Thor’ — and daven at the same time? You might just think it’s possible if you visit the New York Times online listing of movie showtimes. You will find a new movie theater on East 65th Street, listed between Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and City Cinemas Beekman Theater. Today, the theater is…
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Forbidden Auschwitz Art on the Move
“This is the second time I am here,” Poland’s ambassador to the United States, Ryszard Schnepf said from the bimah of Park East Synagogue at the November 12th launch of the New York exhibition of “Forbidden Art” created by prisoners of Auschwitz-Birkenau. to Holocaust survivor and Kristallnacht witness Rabbi Arthur Schneier, the assemblage and diplomats…
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Holocaust Selfies Are an (Awful) Thing
(JTA) — Smiley selfies from Auschwitz and Buchenwald? They’re trending, apparently Blogger Hektor Brehl, writing for the German version of Vice magazine, has a piece about the tendency of young travelers to post pics taken at Holocaust memorials in which they show off their new sneakers and crack “uncool” jokes. Brehl collected an array of…
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