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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Where Is the Support for Jewish Culture?
On May 15, Speakers’ Lab and the Forward will present a moderated town hall-style event called “Now What? The Future of New Jewish Culture” at the 14th Street Y in downtown New York City. In preparation for the event, each panelist was asked to respond to a question related to his or her work. The…
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More on Kunis and Kutcher: The First Kiss
Poor Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher. The gossip media just won’t give the rumor that they are more than just good friends a rest. People just want to know what’s up with Kunis, who not long ago complained of having no dates, and Kutcher, who recently split from his wife Demi Moore, spending so much…
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Thinking and Kvelling at Advanced Study Institute
Princeton University’s Institute for Advanced Study has long been a center of intellectual Yiddishkeit. In 1930, American Jewish educator Abraham Flexner convinced department store magnate Louis Bamberger to donate five million dollars to build the Institute, and it soon acquired the mission of saving Europe’s Jewish thinkers from the Nazi menace. Flexner invited Albert Einstein…
The Latest
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Video: Jack Black Shows Off in Hebrew
Like so many parents these days, comedic actor and musician Jack Black is having a lot of stress about getting his kids into a good school. Last week, he told Conan O’Brien that he recently resorted to some desperate measures — well, at least desperate Jewish word dropping — to impress the admissions people at…
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N.Y. Federation Breaks Sandwich-Making Record
One hundred volunteers from the UJA-Federation of New York broke the Guinness World Record for most sandwiches made for the needy in one hour. A group of Long Island parents and children made 1,660 sandwiches on Sunday at Temple Beth Sholom in Roslyn Heights, breaking the mark of 1,500. The sandwiches and other food, made…
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Noa Says Israel Faces ‘Darkest Period’ in History
Achinoam Nini, the recording artist better known as Noa, is under fire for singing at a joint Israeli-Palestinian event last week to mark Yom Hazikaron, the memorial day for Israeli soldiers and terror victims. The event was organized by Combatants for Peace, a group of Palestinians and Israelis, who have taken an active part in…
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Books Author Blog: The Return of Eli Gershonson
Gerald Kolpan’s newest book, “Magic Words: The Tale of a Jewish Boy-Interpreter, the World’s Most Estimable Magician, a Murderous Harlot, and America’s Greatest Indian Chief,” is now available. 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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Monday Music: Israeli-Arab Singer Mira Awad
Mira Awad — singer, songwriter and actress — is a Palestinian citizen of Israel, the first Arab to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest, and the singer of a song called, hopefully, “There Must Be Another Way.” Awad, 37, was born in the same village where her father was born, in the Upper Galilee…
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Shamed Israeli Soldier Has Friends in High Places
Israeli lawmaker Michael Ben-Ari has just come up with the ultimate harebrained idea. The Jewish nation, he believes, is in need of values, and who better to provide them than the Israeli soldier who just shocked the world with his brutality? There was shame in Israel earlier this month, after a video of Col. Shalom…
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Out and About
Writer László Krasznahorkai talks to Guernica magazine about terror in fiction, the aesthetic of the long sentence, his love of contemporary music, and collaborating with Allen Ginsberg. Read our review of his most recent novel here. Tel Aviv-born artist Maira Kalman takes a stroll through her native city. Read our interview with Kalman here. Bob…
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The Arty Semite Guide to May Classical Concerts
As summertime slowly approaches, concerts of music both minimal and maximal will enchant Manhattanites in search of aural Yiddishkeit. On April 29 at the Walter Reade Theater, flutist Claire Chase will perform Steve Reich’s “Vermont Counterpoint” in its version for flute and tape; the alternate version, for eleven flutes, would doubtless exceed even the gifted…
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