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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Q&A: Susan Seidelman on Adversity and Success
When Susan Seidelman released her first film, “Smithereens,” in 1982, she was still among the first female Hollywood directors. The film was a success, and was selected for competition at Cannes. She followed that with “Desperately Seeking Susan,” which featured a very young Madonna, some films that failed to gain traction (“Cookie,” “She Devil”) and…
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Books Author Blog: Where the Debate on Judaism Began
Earlier this week, Rabbi Barry Schwartz wrote about needing more Jewish debate and the first Jewish debate. His blog posts are being featured this week 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: The mid-19th century in Germany…
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Friday Film: Simone Weil’s Mission of Empathy
Born to agnostic Jewish parents, Simone Weil was a French philosopher, a social and political activist, pacifist, prolific writer and Christian mystic. Today, she is barely remembered. Now, a new documentary has brought Weil back to the attention of American audiences. In “An Encounter with Simone Weil,” New York filmmaker Julia Haslett is moved to…
The Latest
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More Mayim! Actress Does Conan
More Mayim! Our favorite actress, neuroscientist, vegan and “attachment parenting” expert was on Conan O’Brien’s show talking about how she helps keep the scientific facts straight on her show, “The Big Bang Theory.” While she was at it, Bialik also reassured Conan’s other guest, comedian Dana Carvey, that his teen sons’ lack of impulse control…
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Passover Clean-Up Goes Online
Passover cleaning ain’t what it used to be. To be sure, many Jews are engaged right now in the traditional sweeping, scrubbing and washing to rid their homes of chametz. But it seems that young singles are trying to unload themselves of unwanted leavening—that stuff that spiritually weighs you down—in an entirely different way. They’re…
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Q&A: Max Weinberg on Springsteen and Conan
Legendary drummer Max Weinberg, one of the original members of the E Street Band, took a night off from Bruce Springsteen’s “Wrecking Ball” concert tour on March 27 to talk about his life and lessons learned at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. Weinberg improbably started a second career at the age…
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Out and About
The Jewish Museum shows how it created a 35-foot-tall wallscape in Soho for the current Kehinde Wiley exhibition. “Mad Men” creator Matthew Wiener is set to direct “You Are Here,” a film starring Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakis. One school in Toronto is reviving 400-year-old Passover songs that haven’t been heard since 1644. Lianne Stokes…
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Mid-Century Sexcapades at the Philharmonic
On March 26, a day after the premiere of the new season of “Mad Men,” a group of New Yorkers packed into Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher hall to soak up another dose of mid-century nostalgia: the New York Philharmonic’s spring gala program “Anywhere I Wander: The Frank Loesser Songbook,” featuring the works of the Jewish…
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Dude, Just Swim Back!
The International Red Cross was set to return an Israeli Arab who has been held in Lebanon after crossing the border a few months ago. It was not clear whether the man, Ahmed Jamal Daif, accidently swam across the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon while diving, or whether he purposefully swam over. Daif will…
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Naomi Ragen To Pay $62,000 for Plagiarism
Crossposted from Haaretz A Jerusalem court yesterday ordered best-selling author Naomi Ragen to pay about $62,000 to writer Sarah Shapiro for plagiarizing parts of her work. This is the highest amount ever awarded by an Israeli court to an author for intellectual property infringement. Yesterday’s decision comes in the wake of the Jerusalem District Court’s…
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Books Author Blog: The First Jewish Debate
Earlier this week, Rabbi Barry Schwartz wrote about needing more Jewish debate. His blog posts are being featured this week 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: The first Jewish debate never ceases to amaze me. I…
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