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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Berlin Celebrates Louis Lewandowski Festival
This past weekend in Berlin, eight choirs from four continents took part in the first ever Louis Lewandowski Festival, named for the famed music director of Berlin’s New Synagogue in the late 19th century. The choristers hailed from Jerusalem to Johannesburg and Boston to Zürich, with detours to Strasbourg, Toronto and London. The headlining group…
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Getting Divorced All Over Again
One of the recurrent themes of my work as the Forward’s Israel correspondent is trying to make sense of Israeli bureaucracy regarding life-cycle events — or, often, to explore the lack of sense that guides the system. I have covered the woman who was regarded Jewish in one city but a Gentile in another, the…
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Q&A: Joel Rooks, the Other George Burns
Joel Rooks was raised in Swampscott, Mass., in a Jewish family that owned a women’s retail clothing store. George Nathan Birnbaum grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family at 259 Rivington St., on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Birnbaum grew up, took the stage name George Burns and became a star of vaudeville, films and television….
The Latest
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Forward Fives: 2011 in Exhibitions
In this, the third annual Forward Fives selection, we celebrate the year’s cultural output with a series of deliberately eclectic choices in music, performance, exhibitions, books and film. Here we present five of the most important exhibits of 2011. Feel free to argue with and add to our selections in the comments. “The Sota Project”…
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Books ‘Too Many Latkes!’: Twenty Years in the Making
On Monday, Richard Codor wrote about his cartoon education. 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 idea for “Too Many Latkes!” came from one of my fondest childhood…
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Science Fiction Takes Off in Israel
Crossposted from Haaretz Uri Aviv wonders who could imagine a science fiction film coming out of Israel. Yet among the country’s film buffs and science fiction geeks, expectations are high for Ari Folman’s upcoming adaptation of Stanislaw Lem’s book “The Futurological Congress.” The movie is not a one-off. After years of wandering in the desert,…
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Terrorist’s Widow Treated in Tel Aviv Hospital
Being the widow of one of the Middle East’s most notorious terrorists isn’t enough to stop Israeli doctors from treating you. In one of today’s stranger news items, Israel’s Channel 2 is reporting that the wife of Mohammed Oudeh, the mastermind behind the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, is receiving medical care…
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Forward Fives: 2011 in Performance
In this, the third annual Forward Fives selection, we celebrate the year’s cultural output with a series of deliberately eclectic choices in music, performance, exhibitions, books and film. Here we present five of the most important performances of 2011. Feel free to argue with and add to our selections in the comments. “Return to Haifa”…
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A Jewish Guide to Christmas 2011
Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, which means that it might be tougher than usual to get that reservation at your favorite Chinese restaurant. But with December 25 just a few days away, there’s no need to feel like a Grinch. Whether your usual plans have fallen through or you’re in the mood for…
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The Lions of Zion, Chapter 22
What would have happened had there been a Jewish team in the Major Leagues? In an original novel serialized on The Arty Semite, Ross Ufberg imagines the trials and triumphs of The Lions of Zion, an all-Jewish team competing in the National League in 1933. Read the first 21 chapters here. A Feeling It’s usually…
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Salem Jubran, Israeli Arab Poet, Dies at 71
Crossposted from Haaretz Israeli Arab poet and journalist Salem Jubran died Sunday at his home in Nazareth at the age of 71. He was laid to rest in his hometown yesterday. Born in 1941 in the Galilee village of Peki’in, Jubran published three books of poetry, the last of which appeared about 30 years ago….
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