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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New Novel Charts a Haredi Woman’s Struggle With Identity in Pre-War Palestine
Jerusalem Maiden Talia Carner Harper Paperbacks, 464 pages, $14.99 Those craving a fix of Jewish pulp might enjoy “Jerusalem Maiden,” the latest novel by Talia Carner, women’s activist and former publisher of Savvy Women’s Magazine. Set in early 20th century Palestine during the decline of Ottoman rule, the novel follows Esther Kaminsky — a heroine…
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In Albany, A Scuffle Over Marriage Equality
If you were to ask the question “Who is a Jew?” to some ultra-Orthodox Jews demonstrating against marriage equality yesterday in the New York state capitol, their answer would definitively be “Not Sharon Kleinbaum.” In a video made yesterday by The Times Union (the newspaper serving the Albany region) and posted today on the gay…
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Perach Adom Performs Greek-Turkish Music, Israeli Style
The death, earlier this year, of the famed Greek singer/songwriter Manolis Rassoulis at age 65 was a loss for Mediterranean music in general, particularly in Israel, where Rassoulis has performed to acclaim with the skilled ensemble Perach Adom (Red Flower). Founded in 2001 by Tomer Katz, a graduate of Jerusalem’s Rubin Academy for Music and…
The Latest
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Q&A: Adam Mansbach Says ‘Go the F**k To Sleep’
He’s the acclaimed author of three novels and a book of poetry, but Adam Mansbach is taking the literary world by storm with his little irreverent book that could: “Go the F**k to Sleep.” The book — which resembles a bedtime story and is geared not toward children, but to their frustrated parents — debuted…
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Books Gabrielle Giffords Memoir in the Works
It has no title or publication date yet, but you might want to add this book to your reading list now. Mark Kelly, NASA astronaut and husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, announced today that he and his wife are working on a memoir about their life together, before and after Giffords was shot January 8…
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Q&A: Photographer Maya Barkai’s Walking and Working Worldwide Icons
Photo by Dan Keinan. Courtesy of Maya Barkai. In Downtown Manhattan, an international city where pedestrians clog the sidewalks, photographer Maya Barkai’s “Walking Men” fits right in. At the same time, these 99 life-size representations of “walk” signals from around the globe definitely stand out. “Walking Men 99,” an art installation stretching 500 feet around…
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A Call for Apple To Remove ‘Third Intifada’ iPhone App
Could we be approaching the iPhone intifada? Israeli lawmaker Yuli Edelstein seems to fear so. An iPhone app offers Palestinians and Palestinian sympathizers real-time news about efforts to spark a third intifada. The ThirdIntifada was released last week, seemingly to replace a pro-uprising page that Facebook removed in March. Edelstein, who is Israel’s minister of…
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Life After Duke Basketball: Jon Scheyer Signs With Maccabi Tel Aviv
After much speculation from those who keep tabs on domestic Jewish basketball stars (Lord knows there are few), Jon Scheyer, the former Duke University guard who guided the Blue Devils to the 2010 NCAA championship, has signed with the Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv. With Scheyer, Maccabi gets one of those undersize jump-shooters, rich in…
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Video: My Father’s Polish Rescuer
It was a memoir I’d been trying to write for three years without much success. I’d been wanting to tell the story of how, in the summer of 2008, I’d traveled to Warsaw, Poland, for a week with my wife and my 13-month-old son, Noah. Mornings we were tourists, while every afternoon was spent hanging…
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Bob Dylan Proves He’s Still Got It in Tel Aviv
Crossposted from Haaretz Those who cast doubt on Bob Dylan’s ability to perform were forced to eat their words after his excellent performance Monday night. What hasn’t been said about the old-timer’s performance skills? They said that he was tired, they warned that his voice has gone, they predicted a catastrophe similar to his 1987…
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Convicted Nazi War Criminal Convalesces in Alpine Nursing Home
In Bad Feilnbach, a postcard-perfect spa town in the Bavarian Alps, residents are crying NIMBY. It’s not a cell phone tower or nuclear energy plant they are concerned about, but rather something many find even more toxic — convicted Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk. The 91-year-old Demjanjuk, a free man while his appeal wends itself…
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Film & TV The new ‘Superman’ is being called anti-Israel, but does that make it pro-Palestine?
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Music ‘No matter what, I will always be a Jew.’ Billy Joel opens up about his family’s Holocaust history
In Case You Missed It
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Culture In ‘Guns & Moses,’ an Orthodox rabbi packs heat — no questions asked
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Opinion How I got AI to create fake Nazi memos — and what that means for the future of antisemitism
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Fast Forward How the Jewish commandment to ‘be fruitful and multiply’ could help a woman challenge Kentucky’s abortion ban in court
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Yiddish ווידעאָ: יוטוב־פּערזענלעכקייט רעדט אויף ייִדיש וועגן אַ משפּחה־טראַגעדיעVIDEO: Youtube personality speaks in Yiddish about a tragedy in the family
מאַטי מענדלאָוויטשעס ברודער, וואָס האָט יאָרן לאַנג געליטן פֿון דעפּרעסיע, האָט הײַיאָר זיך גענומען דאָס לעבן. .
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