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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Israeli Opera Says No To Wagner Again
The Israeli Opera has asked a U.K.-based Israeli choreographer to remove an excerpt of a Richard Wagner opera from the soundtrack of her show, which will be showcased in Tel Aviv next month. Israeli Opera director Hanna Munitz has asked Jasmin Vardimon to replace the overture of Richard Wagner’s “Tannhauser,” which features in the opening…
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Books Author Blog: Play With Your Passover Food!
Earlier this week, Aviva Kanoff wrote about quinoa, the superfood. Her blog posts have been 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: This year, you won’t have to bribe your kids to eat their vegetables. With…
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Friday Film: Make a Choice, Any Choice
Image courtesy of Dragoman Films “Je T’aime, I Love You Terminal,” screening this month at the Detroit Jewish Film Festival, is a cautionary tale about the dangers of indecision — that when we’re faced with two options, choosing neither is often worse than choosing the wrong one. To a lesser extent, the film is about…
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Italian Renaissance, Tel Aviv Style
Crossposted from Haaretz Entering the Tel Aviv studio of artist Lenny Dinar Dothan one encounters hospitality amid charming disorder. Sawdust is scattered everywhere, among the saws, rulers, pencils and books. Propped up against the wall are some of her works, among them a painting in which she is seen nursing her little son against the…
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Applying Jewish Values to Hollywood Pimp’s Life
A 2008 documentary produced by the Jewish Vegetarians of North America, “A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values To Help Heal The World” was a plea for awareness about natural resources. Featuring interviews with rabbis, scientists and environmental activists, the movie was directed by Emmy Award-winning, South African Jewish-born Lionel Friedberg. In February, Friedberg hit the…
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Kissing Cousins: Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon
It’s kind of weird that actor Zach Braff and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney are cousins. But since chances are pretty good that they will never marry and have children together, we don’t have to worry too much. That isn’t the case with actor Kevin Bacon and his wife of 23 years, actress Kyra Sedgwick….
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Talia Lavin’s Poems for Passover
The irony of Pesach lies in the juxtaposition of the formative freedom narrative with the fraught mythic lore that goes along with its celebration. Today on The Arty Semite we’re featuring two poems by Talia Lavin that address this very juxtaposition through the lens of the contemporary Israel. The first poem tackles the subject head-on:…
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Good, Bad, and Not-So-Ugly Israeli Designers
Crossposted from Haaretz A new exhibit at the Design Museum Holon is taking a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly – or in this case – not so ugly – works of 42 Israeli designers. “Designers Plus 10,” (subtitled: “42 ways To Be a Designer), which opens Sunday, features one older and…
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Books Author Blog: The Lost Afikomen
Moshe Kasher is a stand-up comedian and the author of “Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16.” This is a story of a Passover miracle. Or something. Readers should be advised of strong language and total immaturity……
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Jewcier’s Fantasy Celeb Seder
You know that extra seat that some people leave at the Seder table? It’s usually for Elijah the Prophet, or symbolizes our Jewish brethren around the world who are not free to celebrate Passover. For the past five years, many families left an empty seat for Hamas captive Gilad Shalit. This year, he will be…
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Out and About
Read the story behind Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap and it’s founder, Emanuel Bronner, a third-generation Jewish soap maker from Germany. “Six,” a play by Forward contributor Zohar Tirosh-Polk, has won top prize at the Jewish Plays Project. Will Sarajevo lose its 660-year-old Haggadah? Canadian immigrant Kathleen Reiter stole the show on Israel’s “The Voice.” The…
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