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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Photo: Bethenny Frankel On ‘Saved by the Bell’ Set
How’s this for a blast from the past? “Real Housewife,” talk show host and entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel just posted on Facebook a photo of herself with the cast of “Saved By The Bell.” No, she never appeared on the show (if she had, the Shmooze would be hunting for that episode right now), but instead…
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Nora Ephron Made Genius Look Easy
My Facebook feed blew up last night with appreciative status updates in tribute to Nora Ephron. The burst of activity made me wonder whether everyone’s Facebook feed was full of Ephron’s urbane wit, or if things were quieter in places where people prefer NASCAR to Zabar’s. Today, the day after her untimely death from illness…
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Honest Ed’s Bargain Basement Art Show
Unless you live in Toronto, it’s difficult to grasp the cultural, commercial, and Jewish significance of Honest Ed’s. Opened in 1948 by Ed Mirvish — the American-born son of Lithuanian immigrants — the 160,000-square-foot discount emporium has become a kind of landmark for its casino-like exterior, mind-numbing array of goods, and retail showmanship epitomized by…
The Latest
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Filmmaker and Writer Nora Ephron Dies at 71
Screenwriter, film director, essayist, novelist and cultural figure Nora Ephron has died at age 71, The New York Times reports. The cause of death was pneumonia brought on by myeloid leukemia, a blood disorder from which she had been suffering for six years. Ephron, best known for films like “When Harry Met Sally” (1989) and…
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Books Author Blog: Funny, You Don’t Book Jewish
Lois Leveen?s newest novel, ?The Secrets of Mary Bowser,? 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. For more information on the series, please visit: [![][4]][4] There?s a novel I first read years ago that rang true in…
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Drake and Chris Brown To Box For Cash?
The [fallout]( https://forward.com/the-assimilator/157908/drake-and-chris-brown-brawl over-rihanna/ ‘fallout’) from the club feud between Drake and Chris Brown continues to spread. A fourth victim of the melee stepped forward to blame Drake for getting violent, and the SoHo club where the fight went down is suing New York City for damages after city officials shut down the club. But…
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Michael Bloomberg Loves ‘Girls’
Acclaimed author Martin Amis?s move to Brooklyn isn?t the only thing that the bookish borough has to brag about, and Mayor Bloomberg is the first to say so. The Gracie Mansion mayor recently professed his love for Greenpoint?s latest sensation: ?Girls?: a New York based HBO comedy about a gang (or, well, gaggle) of 20-something…
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$1 Million ‘Jewish Nobel Prize’ Announced
A new international prize worth $1 million to honor Jewish accomplishment in the arts and sciences was announced today by the Israeli Prime Minster’s office, in collaboration the Jewish Agency and the Genesis Philanthropy Group. According to a New York Times story, the prize is endowed with $50 million from the Genesis group, which was…
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German University Gets Liturgical Collection
A German University is set to receive an important collection of Jewish liturgical music. The donation of the collection of Robert Singer, a Viennese cantor, will make the University of Augsburg home to one of the main collections of Jewish liturgical manuscripts and recordings in Europe. The acquisition was formally presented June 25 in a…
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See the Arch of Titus, Now in Color
We can never know for certain what ancient Jews and Romans saw when they passed under the Arch of Titus, but thanks to technology and a team of scholars, we now have an inkling. The arch, dedicated in 81 C.E., celebrates the destruction of Jerusalem by the Emperor Titus and features an iconic bas-relief carving…
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Books Author Blog: Fighting Anti-Semitism, Genetically
In “Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People,” Harry Ostrer wrote about a series of scientists who contributed to our contemporary understanding of Jewishness. This week, he provides a series of short vignettes that describe their contributions about what it means to be a Jew. His blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite…
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Most Popular
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Fast Forward Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements
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News School Israel trip turns ‘terrifying’ for LA students attacked by Israeli teens
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Culture Cardinals are Catholic, not Jewish — so why do they all wear yarmulkes?
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Music After decades of waiting, we’re finally getting a Bob Dylan-Barbra Streisand duet
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