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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Americans Save Israeli Soccer Team Beitar Jerusalem
One of Israel’s most storied — and racism-tarnished — sports teams has new owners, a pair of Americans who hope to change the atmosphere at games. Dan Adler, a former Hollywood talent agent and vice president at Walt Disney Imagineering, purchased the team with fellow US investor Adam Levine. The duo are taking on a…
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In Song: Pinchas
Moses Views the Land of Israel. Woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld from the 1860 “Bible in Pictures.” Each week The Arty Semite connects the Torah reading — however tenuously — with a classic work of rock and roll. In this week’s parsha, Pinchas is spiritually rewarded for killing the leading perpetrators of the idolatry…
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Books Behind ‘Farm 54’: The Making of ‘Houses’
Earlier this week, Galit and Gilad Seliktar shared the making of the first story and the second story in “Farm 54.” In their final post, they share the background behind “Houses,” the third story in their graphic novel. Galit and Gilad Seliktar’s posts are being featured this week on The Arty Semite courtesy of the…
The Latest
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El Al Cracks Down on Israelis With Punctuality Problems
Last week, I went to meet a certain Israeli politician. Her assistant telephoned a few minutes before the scheduled meet time. “Are you on your way?” she asked. “Yes, as scheduled,” I replied, matter-of-factly. She continued her interrogation: “Er, are you going to be on time?” Why wouldn’t I? Were the roads blocked by her…
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Friday Film: The Cell Phones That Bind
Crossposted from Israeli Film & Filmmakers On July 13, I attended the premiere screening at the Jerusalem International Film Festival of “Man Without a Cell Phone,” directed by Sameh Zoabi. The film is a social comedy about a young man and his father, who are fighting the system by opposing a cell phone tower that…
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Michelle Bachmann’s ‘Chutzpah’ Gaffe
Michele Bachmann needs to work on her “chutzpah.” The GOP presidential candidate attempted to use the word on Fox News Wednesday night — but while the Christian Midwesterner’s embrace of Yiddish is striking, her pronunciation would have caused confusion in the shtetl. The Minnesota congresswoman, on a tear in Iowa polls but as gaffe-prone as…
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Tel Aviv Brings Out the DJ in Moby
Crossposted from Haaretz Moby began his career as a DJ in the United States 20 years ago. At the end of the ’90s he turned, surprisingly, into a pop star who liked to wield a guitar — even though he doesn’t really know how to play. He was, and remains, a record spinner — although…
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Books The Best Way To Play Charades
“The Chairs Are Where the People Go: How to Live, Work, and Play in the City” By Misha Glouberman with Sheila Heti Faber and Faber, 174 pages, $13 “The Chairs Are Where the People Go” is the name of a chapter in Misha Glouberman’s book, as well its title. It is also one of the…
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A Music Video Eulogy for JDub Records
Crossposted from New Voices Magazine I actually gasped out loud when I read the press release from JDub Records President and CEO Aaron Bisman this morning: I’m writing to let you know that after almost 9 years in operation, JDUB’s Board of Directors has decided to wind down the organization. There are Jews all over…
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All-Night Cultural Events Across Israel — Not Just in Tel Aviv
The gap between the center and the “periphery” — a term that is increasingly used to refer to pretty much everywhere in Israel except Tel Aviv and its surroundings — is growing, at least economically. But happily, the cultural divide may be starting to narrow. Two weeks ago, Tel Aviv didn’t sleep — it held…
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One Moshav’s Best Kept Secret: The Poetry of Chaim Rosenblum
The Israeli Moshav Mevo Modi’im, founded by Shlomo Carlebach in 1976, has a major artist population, including painters, writers and musicians. Among them, originally hailing from Claremont, Calif., lives poet Chaim Rosenblum with his wife and seven children. We’re featuring three of his works on The Arty Semite today. The first piece is more than…
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Yiddish World A photo of my bubbe when Jewish stores still had Yiddish signs
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