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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Madonna To Kick Off Tour in Israel
The Super Bowl halftime show was just the start. All of us are going to be seeing a lot more of Madonna this year, but Israelis are going to be the first to see — and hear — her. Following the release of her new album, “MDNA” on March 26, Madge will kick off a…
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Books Yiddish Stories Not Lost in Translation
The Association of Jewish Libraries Guide to Yiddish Short Stories By Bennett Muraskin Ben Yehuda Press, 79 pages, $14.50 The title of this small but useful book might have been lengthened to include “in the English language,” but the point is taken. We are now in a veritable golden age of translation, though the “golden”…
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Scarlett Johansson Hosts Obama’s ‘Runway To Win’
Big names from the world of fashion gathered Tuesday evening at the Theory clothing store in the West Village to support President Obama’s re-election bid. The Fashion Week fundraiser, dubbed “Runway To Win,” was hosted by actress Scarlett Johansson and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. Wintour, according to newly released campaign financial information, is one of…
The Latest
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‘Hudson News’ Founder Dies at 86
The man who founded the ubiquitous Hudson News chain — every airport, train station and bus terminal seems to have one — has died at 86, The New York Times has reported. Robert Cohen, who built the 600-store empire on top of a successful newspaper-distribution business inherited from his father, passed away in Palm Beach,…
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Books The Perils and Pleasures of Spiritual Travel
Earlier this week, Eric Weiner wrote about carrots, fish and Jewish souls. 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: I’ve written a book about my “spiritual journey,” fully aware…
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Izabo Chosen as Israel’s Eurovision Rep
Crossposted from Haaretz The indie-rock band Izabo will represent Israel in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest with its song “Time,” the Israel Broadcasting Authority announced on Tuesday. The competition will take place in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on May 22. Izabo was founded in 1989 by musician and musical producer Ran Shem-Tov, who provides…
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A Call To Boycott Sexy Purim Costumes
Some like to call Purim the “Jewish Halloween.” Whether or not that is really a correct analogy, it seems that the same costume scandals that come up around October 31 also plague 14 Adar. The Jerusalem Post reports that the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) is urging consumers to boycott companies selling sexy Purim costumes….
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Less Than Actual Abraham Joshua Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) was a fascinating individual. Too bad Colin Greer’s play, “Imagining Heschel,” is such a yawn. Heschel was born in Poland, and got out before the Holocaust; he was a poet, teacher and author of influential works including the 1955 classic, “God in Search of Man.” He believed that Jews should fight…
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Bashar Assad’s ABC Interview Tips Leaked
Crossposted from Haaretz Hundreds of emails from Syrian President Bashar Assad’s office were leaked on Monday after an attack by the hacker group Anonymous. One of the email files, which Haaretz has obtained, was a document preparing Assad for his December 2011 interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters. The attack took place overnight Sunday and the…
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Shadow of ‘Jud Suss’
Crossposted From Under the Fig Tree Most days, my students leave class in high spirits, noisily pushing back their chairs and chatting away animatedly as they head off to another class, a cup of coffee or a nap. Not this time. After an hour and a half spent watching the infamous “Jud Suss,” one of…
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Roseanne Barr Seeks Green Party Nomination
Not sure of Newt Gingrich’s chance of ever making it to the White House? The Shmooze is confident that his odds are better than Roseanne Barr’s. But Barr isn’t too worried. After completing all the necessary paperwork and declaring her candidacy for the Green Party’s nomination, she admitted that it was doubtful that she would…
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