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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Was Superman a Frat Boy?
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… Beta-Sigma-Rho Man? The recent discovery of a 75-year-old pencil sketch by Superman creator Joe Shuster hints that Man of Steel’s origins have roots in a Toronto fraternity. The Ontario Jewish Archives in Toronto recently released an image of the circa-1937 drawing, which depicts a familiar caped figure with…
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Bill Clinton Wins Father Of The Year
It’s not everyday that your achievements in fatherhood merit both recognition from the community and a TextFromHillary. Former President Bill Clinton was honored by the National Father’s Day Committee at the 72nd Annual Father Of The Year Awards, during a lunch benefiting Save The Children on Tuesday. Presented with the award by daughter Chelsea, he…
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Victor Navasky Knows an Anti-Semitic Cartoon
On the back flap of his new book, Victor Navasky is portrayed in a kinetic caricature by the illustrious Edward Sorel. It’s one clue about Navasky’s deep connection to political cartoons explored in “The Art of Controversy,” a personal history as well as learned survey of the form. The former editor and publisher of The…
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A Jewish Tradition of Changing Names
Earlier this week, Royal Young interviewed his grandparents and wrote about his parents’ reaction to his debut memoir “Fame Shark.” 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: I changed my name from…
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Bruce Ratner To Head Museum of Jewish Heritage
Bruce Ratner, executive chairman of Forest City Ratner Companies, was elected chairman-elect of the board of trustees of the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, according to a June 12 press release. Ratner is the principle developer of The Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, which includes the new Barclays Center…
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Israeli Politician Posts Sexy Selfie
When one is a politician, one can usually count on losing sleep in favor of debating important public issues. But one such public servant, Yesh Atid first-time MK Boaz Toporovsky, took this to a whole new level. On Monday night (Israeli time), during a heated debate about women’s right to a say in the appointment…
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Sarah Jessica Parker Launches Shoe Line
After wearing them day in and day out on “Sex and the City,” Sarah Jessica Parker has announced that she will be launching her own line of shoes. But not any shoes. In pure Carrie Bradshaw fashion, Parker will be teaming up with Manolo Blahnik CEO George Malkemus for the design. For her brand, SJP,…
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Rabbi and Doctors Mingle At Calvary Gala
If ever the idea of loving kindness was a statement of fact — rather than an ideal — it was expressed by youthful Rabbi Rachmiel Rothberger, Jewish chaplain at Calvary Hospital, in his invocation delivered at the hospital’s upbeat 30th Annual Award Gala. Addressing the 450 black tie guests at The Pierre, the rabbi thanked…
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Carole King Charms Massachusetts
In a reverse case of “Where you lead, I will follow,” a verse from one of Carole King’s countless hit songs, Bostonians trailed the iconic Brooklyn-born songstress around their state last month. On May 11, along with Willie Nelson and Annie Lennox, King received an honorary degree from Berklee College of Music. That Friday, she…
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Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg Kill Their Friends
Actor Seth Rogen and writer-producer Evan Goldberg, known for R-rated stoner comedies such as “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express,” make their debut as directors this week with “This Is the End.” Rogen, 31, and Goldberg, 30, said that they wanted to push the boundaries of comedy by having actors play themselves dealing with an apocalypse in…
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Presenting the ‘Action Kippah’
LeBron James, your time is almost up. For years, Jewish athletes have been held back by several factors — Saturday games to name one. But the playing field to about to level off. Pretty soon, the list of “Famous Jewish Sports Legends” will be longer than a Tolstoy novel. Ber Cohen, a Pittsburgh area “kid…
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