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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‘Delta Gets You There’ (Unless You’re Jewish)
“Delta gets you there,” but not necessarily if you are Jewish. The airline’s slogan does not seem to completely apply now that it has entered a code-sharing partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, set to begin in 2012. Soon after an article by Michele Chabin for Religion News Service titled,…
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Historic Mississippi Synagogue Now a Museum
Crossposted from Samuel Gruber’s Jewish Art & Monuments Twenty years ago I had the pleasure of visiting the small but lovely Temple B’nai Sholom in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Even then there were few Jews left in the town to use the synagogue, built in 1896. Still, it was well maintained, and could still serve the community…
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In Song: Korach
Each week The Arty Semite connects the Torah reading — however tenuously — with a classic work of rock and roll. This week’s parsha is Korach, named after the man who, along with his lackeys, tries to instigate a rebellion against Moses’ leadership. They fail, as God weighs in on Moses’ side and sends Korach…
The Latest
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Long Island Pharmacy Murderer’s Jewish Connection
With the arrest of a Long Island couple in this week’s horrific Medford pharmacy murders, an unfortunate Jewish connection has emerged. Former Army private David Laffer, 33, was taken into custody yesterday in connection with the quadruple slayings at Haven Drugs on Sunday. His “pill-popping” wife, Melinda Brady, was also taken away in handcuffs, according…
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Books Jewish Writer
Earlier this week, David Albahari wrote about the madness of one-paragraph novels and the author’s voice. 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: Being a Jewish writer is no…
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Friday Film: Solving World Conflict With Sex
Courtesy of Music Box Films In “The Names of Love,” being released in the U.S. June 24, 24-year-old actress Sara Forestier plays Baya, a free-spirited idealist who literally enacts the 1960s slogan, “Make love, not war.” She is passionate to a fault in supporting the French left, lending her attractive body to the cause by…
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Jewish Skeletons Found in English Well: Were They Victims of Medieval Persecution?
The people of Norwich, England have found some skeletons — not in their closets, but in a well. And the bones belong to Jews. The remains of 17 bodies dating to the 12th or 13th centuries were found at the bottom of a well in 2004 during an excavation for the construction of a shopping…
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Young Jews Love To Volunteer, Though Not for Jewish Organizations
A just-released study on young Jews and volunteerism reveals that, although young Jews are committed to community service and volunteering, they tend not to associate that interest with their Jewish identities. This is the case despite the fact that commitment to volunteerism increases with a young Jew’s level of religious involvement. The study also found…
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Embassy PSA to Young Israelis: Don’t Risk Illegal Work in the US
Replete with testimonies from witnesses with digitally altered appearances and electronically disguised voices, it’s a cross between a true crime show and Scared Straight. No, it’s not the latest reality TV show out of Hollywood. It’s a video called “The Price is Too High” made by the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to warn young…
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Dog-Eared Poetry: Three Works by Erica Baum
Poetry is everywhere, especially in places you would least expect it to be. Even the most mundane texts — be it a news article or street advertising — have poetry within them. Such is the sentiment conveyed by writers involved with the “found poetry” genre, most famously explored by Williams Carlos Williams in his epic,…
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Slideshow: Kobi Levi’s Fabulous Footwear Designs
High heels are a great way of attracting attention — think of Carrie Bradshaw teetering on vertiginous Manolo Blahniks in “Sex and the City.” But even she might have balked at slipping on one of Kobi Levi’s more imaginative designs. There’s “Chewing Gum,” for instance, capturing the moment just after the wearer has “stepped” in…
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Music Can 6 hours of Billy Joel turn critics into believers?
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Opinion What exactly is going on between Israel and Syria — and is the prospect of peace dead?
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Fast Forward Antisemitic assaults and vandalism are down on campuses but online bullying is up, Hillel finds
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