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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Ben-Gurion Relative From Mexico Becomes New ‘Jewish Idol’
Crossposted from Haaretz Mexican singer Adam Kleinberg, a relative of Israel’s founding father, David Ben-Gurion, won first prize at the 2011 Hallelujah singing competition last week, as local families, seniors and music enthusiasts gathered in Ramat Hasharon’s central square. Hallelujah, which has been on a 17-year hiatus, returned with a bang as 12 finalists took…
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Museum of Jewish Heritage Back to Normal After Hurricane Irene
“Everything is back to normal today” at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City at the lower tip of Manhattan, according to Associate Director Abby Spilka. Spilka was afraid this was not going to be the case when she left the Museum late Friday, after taking precautions against the possible effects of Hurricane…
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Monday Music: Jewish, Japanese and Mexican Tunes Mix in LA
If you know where to look, there’s a lot of culture in Los Angeles: music, literature, visual art, food. And much of it is gratis. Grand Performances, a concert series that focuses on the cultural diversity of LA, often provides free shows — like “A Night at the Phillips Music Company,” on August 27, which…
The Latest
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Why is Rachel Weisz Wearing a Cross Pendant?
We’ve noted the recent trend of non-Jewish celebrities and public figures wearing Jewish jewelry. Remember Sarah Palin’s big Magen David pendant and Elijah Wood’s ring inscribed with a quote from Pirkei Avot? Now the Shmooze wonders why Jewish actress Rachel Weisz has started the reverse trend by wearing a cross — and one that costs…
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Books A Funny Thing Happened — True Story!
Wayne Hoffman‘s most recent book, “Sweet Like Sugar,” is now available. Hoffman is the managing director of special projects at Nextbook. His 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: My mother…
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Helen Mirren’s Sparkly Jewish Roots?
In her latest film, “The Debt,” British actress Helen Mirren plays retired Mossad agent Rachel Singer. And in a recent interview with the New York Times Magazine’s Andrew Goldman, the Oscar-winning actress (and Dame!) discussed the possibility of having Jewish roots. When asked if she might be “a secret Jew,” and — like Madeleine Albright…
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How Israel Once Solved a Housing Crisis
Crossposted from Haaretz On February 27, 1936, the cornerstone was laid for Kiryat Avoda, a new workers’ neighborhood built on the sands south of Tel Aviv. It spread over 3,000 dunams and became an important link in establishing Holon at the start of the 1940s. Kiryat Avoda was supposed to solve the housing shortage for…
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Out and About: Intellectuals for Palestine; Jerry Leiber’s Oscar Wilde
In this week’s New Yorker, Alex Ross discusses Mieczysław Weinberg’s Holocuast opera, “The Passenger.” A new petition initiated by playwright Joshua Sobol and poet Taha Muhammad Ali calls on Israeli and Palestinian intellectuals to support a Palestinian state. Israel is using tax breaks and terrorism insurance to lure Hollywood production. Before he died, lyricist Jerry…
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This Week in Forward Arts and Culture
Susan Comninos reviews “The Arrogant Years,” a new memoir from former Forward managing editor Lucette Lagnado. Jordana Horn goes to see “The Debt,” a Hollywood remake of an Israeli spy thriller. Benjamin Ivry revisits the controversy surrounding French modernist and anti-Semite Louis-Ferdinand Céline. Misha Berson reviews a new biography of playwright Wendy Wasserstein. Gordon Haber…
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Friday Film: Paul Rudd as Holy Fool in ‘Our Idiot Brother’
Nicole Rivelli/The Weinstein Company I don’t know when I’ve seen a mean hippie on screen before. But that’s just one reason to see “Our Idiot Brother.” Another is Paul Rudd’s adorable, innocent character, Ned. He’s a latter day hippie we first meet selling vegetables at a farmer’s market. A cop flatters his zucchini, then coaxes…
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In Song: Re’eh
Each week The Arty Semite connects the Torah reading — however tenuously — with a classic work of rock and roll. This week’s parsha, Re’eh, begins with instructions on how the Israelites must behave in order to keep the land of Canaan and bond with it successfully. God informs us that He will choose a…
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