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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To-Do Lists of the Famous and Creative
Adolf Konrad, packing list, December 16, 1963. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Crossposted From Under the Fig Tree One of my greatest joys and, along with brushing my teeth, one of the great constants in my life, is making lists. While my abiding affection for ordering, lining up and then crossing out (what pleasure!)…
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Photographer Alfred Stieglitz, ‘Jewish Mystic’
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit “Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand” which ran from November, 2010, closed in April of this year; however, there is new reason to admire the achievement of photographer and modern art maven Alfred Stieglitz, born in Hoboken in 1864 to a family of German Jewish origin. Stieglitz’s own acclaimed photos reveal scant…
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In Song: Shlach Lecha
Each week The Arty Semite connects the Torah reading — however tenuously — with a classic work of rock and roll. In this week’s parsha, Shelach Lecha, Moses sends out 12 men — a prince from each tribe — to scout the Promised Land. They return with proof of its bounty, but 10 of them…
The Latest
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Friday Film: Of Victimhood, Girl Groups and Marlene Dietrich
More a filmed performance piece than a conventional movie, Amit Epstein’s “The Stockholm Syndrome Trilogy” — which had its North American premiere last month at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival — mashes up interpretive dance, ‘80s pop, Marlene Dietrich, and same-sex lust into a sometimes-successful fantasia on Jewish victimhood. The titular condition, of course, manifests…
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Getting Rid of Journalists in Haaretz’s Third ‘Writers Edition’
Author Etgar Keret with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo by Tal Cohen. It’s become a tradition since 2009 that in honor of Israel’s Hebrew Book Week, Haaretz publishes its “Writers Edition.” For this unique edition, all the paper’s reporters disappear and are replaced by well-known Israeli, Middle Eastern, Jewish and Jew-ish authors and poets….
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In East Jerusalem, the Battle Over Street Names Continues
WAFA, the Palestinian News and Information Agency, is reporting that crews from the Jerusalem municipality started working early this morning to remove existing street signs in East Jerusalem and replace them with new ones. The new signs will change the names of streets and locations from their Arab names to Jewish ones. According to WAFA’s…
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Books Poetic Resources of Jewish Folklore: Three Works by Howard Schwartz
In a recent article in the Jewish Review of Books titled “Why There Is No Jewish Narnia,” Michael Weingrad argued that dark, Gothic fantasy writing does not sit well with the Jewish weltanschauung, and that by and large, we simply do not have that kind of literature. This is because, as Weingrad compellingly puts it,…
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Who Is Coming To Israel With Glenn Beck?
Glenn Beck fever is sweeping the Holy Land. The controversial American broadcaster has got Israel talking about the rally he is planning for Jerusalem in August. Last year, he organized a huge event in Washington called Restore Honor, bringing together thousands of conservatives. He’s now planning Restore Courage — a similar concept with a pro-Israel…
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Shakira To Speak at Israeli Presidential Conference
Pop star Shakira is on her way to Jerusalem — not to perform, but to speak about childhood education at a summit organized by Israeli President Shimon Peres. The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer will participate in the Israeli Presidential Conference this month with an eclectic set of guests, who range from Dr. Ruth and Sarah…
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Books The Tragic Lives and Loves of Joyce’s Russian Translators
June 16 is Bloomsday, the day when Leopold Bloom, the Jewish-descended protagonist of James Joyce’s novel “Ulysses,” took his quasi-Homeric one-day odyssey through Dublin. It’s the day when Dubliners and Joyce’s fans throughout the world celebrate the legacy of the great Irish novelist, whose protagonist transcends all cultural and temporal borders while remaining both Irish…
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Out and About: A Librarian for the Ages; Larry David, Man of His People
Happy Bloomsday! Stay tuned for more. The runaway bestseller not-really-children’s book “Go the F***| to Sleep” (previously covered on The Arty Semite here) now has the distinction of being read aloud by Samuel L. Jackson. The Atlantic’s James Parker on Larry David, “a figure of pioneering godlessness and a loyal celebrant of the traditions.” On…
Most Popular
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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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Fast Forward Tucker Carlson calls for stripping citizenship from Americans who served in the Israeli army
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Opinion This German word explains Trump’s authoritarian impulses — and Hitler’s rise to power
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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 Rabbi, get your gun
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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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