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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Jews in Motion: The Artistry of Josef Herman
The Polish Jewish painter Josef Herman, who settled in the UK as a refugee, is best known for his monumentally blocky paintings of Welsh miners whom he depicted empathetically while living for over a decade in a Welsh mining town, starting in 1944. Now a centenary exhibit, “Josef Herman: Warsaw, Brussels, Glasgow, London, 1938-1944” traces…
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Israeli Man Changes Name to Mark Zuckerberg
What is it with Israelis and names inspired by Facebook? Six months after we brought you the story of an Israeli couple who named their newborn daughter “Like,” the weekend edition of Yediot Aharonot reports that a 32-year-old Israeli man has legally changed his name to Mark Zuckerberg. The new name is not a tribute…
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Monday Music: A John Zorn Christmas
The CD case to John Zorn’s first Christmas record, “A Dreamers Christmas,” comes as a sort of stocking. Reaching into the sleeve you’ll find, along with the CD, a sheet of stickers that could represent a new line of holiday-themed Giga Pets. You might be tempted to over-think this album, with its cute and somewhat…
The Latest
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Forward Fives: 2011 in Music
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 Jewish music releases of 2011. Feel free to argue with and add to our selections in the comments. “Songs…
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Books A Cartoon Education
Richard Codor’s most recent book, “Too Many Latkes!” (Behrman House), is now available. 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 memory of my cousin handing me my first…
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Christopher Hitchens in the Forward 50
Journalist, critic, pundit and all-around provocateur Christopher Hitchens died December 15 at the age of 62. The outpouring of appreciation (and criticism) has been immense, including this piece in the Forward by Shmuley Boteach. But the Forward recognized Hitchens long before his death for his considerable — and considerably polarizing — gifts. In 2002, Hitchens…
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Q&A: Steven Spielberg Talks Tintin
Steven Spielberg walked the red carpet at New York City’s Ziegfeld Theatre on December 12 like a regular guy, wearing an understated houndstooth cap, a knit scarf and wool overcoat. It was the New York City premiere of his 3D motion capture animated movie, “The Adventures of Tintin,” opening December 21. Tintin, a cartoon journalist…
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Out and About
Forward artist-in-residence Eli Valley interviews Drew Friedman, author of “Old Jewish Comedians: a Visual Encyclopedia.” The Klezmatics are scheduled to appear on Conan O’Brien tonight. Tune in! If you’re in New York, celebrate the second night of Hanukkah at Southpaw with The Shondes, Yiddish Princess and Schmekel. The New York Times talks up the Sephardic…
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‘Shlemiel the First’ Just as Good the Second Time
Is there room for a klezmer musical on Broadway? I think so. The band for “Shlemiel the First,” led by the Folksbiene National Yiddish Theatre’s Zalmen Mlotek, is so good that during the exit music a sizeable portion of the audience drifted down toward the pit instead of up to the exits. Costumed as an…
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Most Embarrassing Hebrew School Moment?
Education is a serious matter for Jews. But the Forward’s upcoming special section on education will also take a lighter look at learning — and you can be part of it. Tell us your most ridiculous, hilarious, or cringe-worthy moment in Hebrew school. We’ll pick the 10 funniest submissions; the winners will appear in the…
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Comic Artist at Center of Library Battle
Not many works on the American Library Association’s list of frequently challenged books — a distinguished roster including “The Great Gatsby,” “Catcher in the Rye,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Beloved” — include cartoons. But “Stuck in the Middle: 17 Comics From an Unpleasant Age”, an acclaimed compilation whose clear-eyed, candid cartoons confront adolescent traumas,…
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