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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Philip Roth to Retire
Salon is reporting, on the basis of an interview with a French magazine, that Philip Roth is putting down his pen as a novelist. “To tell you the truth, I’m done,” Roth told the magazine, in the most definitive statement he has ever made about his future plans. “‘Nemesis’ will be my last book.” Roth…
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Books Author Blog: Wimps
Earlier this week, Haim Watzman wrote about how to succeed in academia without doing any research and Super Tuesday. 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: Are Israeli guys real men? Yes,…
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Hasidic Heir Who Rides a Harley
Audiences at the 2012 Starz Denver Film Festival earlier this month likely found it uncomfortable to sit through the 29 minutes of Pearl Gluck’s’s short film, “Where Is Joel Baum.” That, however, is a good thing, because the film tells the kind of story that introduces you to a disturbing, yet riveting, title character, and…
The Latest
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Books The Historian’s Challenge, Part 2
On Tuesday, Gerald Sorin wrote about ambivalence toward the genre of biography. Today, he considers the question: Can the biographer or their readers really know the subject fully? 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…
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Art Spiegelman Struggles With Success
Art Spiegelman just wants to be left alone. Or, rather, he would really like it if parts of his career and biography were minimized, and others celebrated more. The central tension, both in the long conversations he had with University of Chicago professor Hillary Chute, the germ and base level of “MetaMaus” (2011), and now…
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Lunching With New Yorker Cartoonists
Every frame in Rachel Loube’s “Every Tuesday: A Portrait of the New Yorker Cartoonists,” now screening at the Boston Jewish Film Festival, together with “The Art of Spiegelman,” threatens to dissolve into cliché. There is the premise itself: Every Tuesday, New Yorker cartoonists, young and old, submit their work, and then go for lunch. It…
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While You Were Voting…
Celebs were voting, too. Sarah Jessica Parker rocked a fab “Viva Obama” t-shirt on the way to the polls. And the paps caught Dianna Agron and Ashley Tisdale and her mom exercising their democratic right. Others, including Bethenny Frankel, Adam Shankman, Rashida Jones, Scooter Braun and Mayim Bialik took to Twitter to encourage followers to…
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Books How to Succeed in Academia Without Doing Research
Earlier this week, Haim Watzman wrote about Super Tuesday, journalism, and love. 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: “Are you a professor?” asked the woman sitting next to me on the…
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Faced With Demolition, Bedouin Seek Answers
Set in an unnamed village in the Negev desert, Ami Livne’s low budget directorial debut, “Sharqiya,” tells the story of a Bedouin family whose home is served a demolition order by Israeli authorities. The film won the 2012 Jerusalem Film Festival’s Haggiag Award for best feature film, screened this month at the U.K. Jewish Film…
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Celebs Get out the Vote
With the hours ticking down until the election, many celebs are doing their part to get out the vote. While most stars appear to be backing President Obama, David Mamet has been outspoken about his support of Mitt Romney. You can read his appeal to fellow Jewish voters, “A note to a stiff-necked people” in…
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Books Author Blog: The Historian’s Challenge
Gerald Sorin’s most recent book, “Howard Fast: Life and Literature in the Left Lane,” is now available. Sorin won the 2003 National Jewish Book Award in History for I“Irving Howe: A Life of Passionate Dissent.” His blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author…
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Most Popular
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Opinion The Iran war ended terribly for the US, and even worse for Israel
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Film & TV In ‘Disclosure Day,’ Steven Spielberg finds himself at odds with Jewish thought about aliens
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Sports This year’s biggest World Cup upset came from its most Jew-ish team
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News Who is Gadi Eisenkot, the Israeli politician who could dethrone Netanyahu?
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward Years after a boycott fight, Ben & Jerry’s Israel debuts a flavor celebrating Israeli resilience
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Fast Forward Mamdani calls AIPAC ‘monsters’ in rally ahead of NY primaries
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Fast Forward Jewish groups push back against Trump’s Iran deal — but more quietly so far than in 2015
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News Who is Gadi Eisenkot, the Israeli politician who could dethrone Netanyahu?