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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And on The Ninth Day, They Prayed
Yesterday evening marked the beginning of Tisha B’Av, the annual fast day which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the subsequent exile of the Jews from the Holy Land. Regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendars, all pleasurable activities are forbidden. As in a period of mourning, there is…
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Liz Taylor’s ‘Cleopatra’ Headress Hits Block for $3K
A collection of late actress Elizabeth Taylor’s personal items, including jewelry, cocktail dresses and film costumes, will go under the hammer in Beverly Hills, California, Julien’s Auctions said on Tuesday. The collection, which comes from an unidentified former employee of Taylor, will first go on display in Ireland on Tuesday and will hit the auction…
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Banned Musical Remains Relevant as Ever
If the performance of Marc Blitzstein’s “The Cradle Will Rock” by the “Encores! Off-Center” series, which just ended its all-too-brief five-performance run July 13 at New York City Center, is not recorded for posterity, it will be a major loss. To call it revelatory is an understatement. This searing, hilarious and deeply affecting production resurrected…
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Remembering Cynthia Lufkin
When I arrived at the plush Doubles club at the Fifth Avenue Sherry Netherlands for the March 2, 2010 book launch hosted by Dr. Marisa Weiss, president and founder of Breastcancer.org., I was warmly greeted by event co-host — then breast cancer survivor — Cynthia Lufkin, who in 2008 was dubbed American Cancer Society’s “Mother…
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Five Jewish Women People Have Never Heard Of
Melissa R. Klapper is a professor of history at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. Her newest book, “Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women’s Activism, 1890-1940” (NYU Press), is now available. Her blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series….
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Jewish Stars Mourn Cory Monteith
“Glee” star Cory Monteith was found dead in his hotel room in Vancouver on Saturday morning. He was only 31. Hollywood took to Twitter to process its grief, and stars expressed their condolences to Monteith’s girlfriend, Jewish actress and co-star Lea Michele. I can’t fully process this news. Tragic, tragic loss of a young, promising,…
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Hottest Jewish Men: Who Was Left Out?
Last week, Buzzfeed published “The Official Ranking Of The 51 Hottest Jewish Men In Hollywood,” a comprehensive list of the heebiest hunks in stardom. But it seems a few were left out. And so, without further ado, we present to you the Top 5 forgotten Jewish hotties. B.J. Novak He may have been an obnoxious…
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An Exclusive Interview With Lipa Schmeltzer
Hasidic singer Lipa Schmeltzer is a true exception in the Haredi world, both because of his music and because of his personality. Frimet Goldberger lives a few blocks away from Schmeltzer in the community of Airmont, N.Y., and she and her family are members of his shul. In this exclusive interview with the Forverts, Schmeltzer…
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Opera
If all goes according to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s plan, we’ll be seeing her on the bench next term. And if all goes according to Derrick Wang’s plan, we’ll also be seeing her on stage. To be precise, it won’t be the Jewish Justice herself in the spotlight, but an opera performer playing…
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A Zinger From Joan Rivers
Paula Deen jokes have been all over the Internet since the Southern food maven’s use of the N-word and other racial slurs became public knowledge. But none of the aforementioned gags tops Joan Rivers’ tweet, posted on Friday after it was announced that Barry Weiss, Deen’s longtime agent, had gotten the sack: Paula Deen fired…
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Dreaming at the Movies
Earlier this week, Ilan Mochari wrote about The Who and Jewish summer camp and the autobiographical elements in his novel, “Zinsky the Obscure” (Fomite Press). His blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For more information on the series, please visit:…
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