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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Tony Kushner Hates Writing
Live in New York long enough, and you become accustomed to seeing our most decorated novelists, journalists, poets and playwrights sit on various stages to discuss their work. Uptown places like 92Y and Symphony Space in Manhattan get the lion’s share, while a smattering of smaller venues like Housing Works in SoHo regularly host bestselling…
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Russian Jews on the Silver Screen
My Dad Is Baryshnikov,” directed by Dmitry Povolotsky, about a klutzy Russian Jewish version of Billy Elliot, is among the latest in a tradition of Russian Jews ardently seeking reflections of their own experience onscreen. This impulse dates back to the earliest years of cinema history, as is explained in the brilliantly researched “Kinojudaica: Representations…
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The Mishpokhe Connection
Jonathan Kirsch is book editor of The Jewish Journal. Earlier this week, he wrote about Jewish resistance, restoring Herschel Grynszpan to the pages of history, Herschel Grynszpan’s scandalous theory of defense and Kristallnacht. His blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series….
The Latest
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Hundreds Gather for Jewish Choir Festival
Hundreds of singers from across Europe have convened in Vienna for the first European Jewish Choir Festival. The festival will culminate on May 12 in a gala concert titled “Shir LaShalom — A Song for Peace” at the Austria Center Vienna, where 400 vocalists from Jewish choirs from 16 European cities will present their repertoires….
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‘A Chorus Line’ for Marvin Hamlisch at Memorial
“He’d be so happy. He so loved his college! ” a passionate, upbeat Terre Blair Hamlisch said as she recalled her late husband to the full house at the Hamlisch Memorial Concert at Queens College’s Kupferberg Center for the Arts on May 5. Originally scheduled for November 12, 2012, the event was postponed because of…
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Chelsea Clinton Touts Israeli Coffee App
Chelsea Clinton really loves coffee. On Wednesday, she took to Facebook to gush about CUPS-Unlimited Coffee, the Israeli coffee app that allows users to enjoy unlimited coffee at 55 participating Tel Aviv coffee shops for $45 a month. “Pretty incredible!” she wrote. “An Israeli startup created an all-you-can-drink coffee app for coffee addicts (like me!)….
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Amanda Bynes Gets Three Years Probation
Amid the panicked phone calls to cops, topless pictures and alarming tweets, it’s easy to forget that Amanda Bynes’ troubles started with a series of arrests for reckless driving last fall. The 27-year-old finally pleaded no contest to driving on a suspended license. Bynes was absent from the L.A. court proceedings, but her lawyer, Richard…
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Philadelphia Honors Grande Dame of Piano
Philadelphia’s classical music-loving community is coming together on May 11 at Centennial Hall in Haverford, Pennsylvania to pay tribute to the achievements of Nelly Berman, a Russian-Jewish immigrant who has touched the lives of hundreds of young music students over the past 30 years. Jonathan Adler, who has been studying piano at the Nelly Berman…
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Kristallnacht and Herschel Grynszpan
Jonathan Kirsch is book editor of The Jewish Journal. Earlier this week, he wrote about Jewish resistance, restoring Herschel Grynszpan to the pages of history and Herschel Grynszpan’s scandalous theory of defense. His blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For…
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Who Are The Most Trusted Jews In America?
Recently, Reader’s Digest collaborated with The Wagner Group and polled over 1,000 Americans on 200 public figures to comile the “100 Most Trusted People in America” list. High on the list was Steven Spielberg (No.6), along with Nobel Prize winner Robert J. Lefkowitz (No.11) and economist Lloyd Shapley (No.15). Other notable Jews mentioned were Noam…
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Famous Jews Talk Mom In Six Words
Ever wonder what Jewish porn star James Deen thinks of his mother? In collaboration with Larry Smith, founder of SMITH Magazine and the “Six-Word Memoir” project, the Forward asked some Tribe notables to give their six-word take on the woman who pushed them out into the world — literally and figuratively. Below are their words…
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Yiddish ווידעאָ: דער ליובאַוויטשער רבי מוטיקט פֿרויען צו לערנען תּורהVIDEO: The Lubavitcher Rebbe encourages women to learn Torah
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