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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Jake Gyllenhaal Has Lost the Afikomen!
On “Shalom Sesame,” the Jewish version of “Sesame Street,” a charming Jake Gyllenhaal has lost the afikomen. Turns out it was in his shirt pocket the whole time! Other big name celebrities starring in this season include Debra Messing, Christina Applegate and Greg Kinnear.
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From Broadcast to ‘G-dcast’
Where would you go to learn Torah, not only from famous rabbis like Lawrence Kushner, but also feminist rapper Hesta Prynn and legal pundit Dahlia Lithwick? It wouldn’t be to any synagogue, JCC or school. In fact, you wouldn’t even have to leave your home. G-dcast, created by Jewish educational entrepreneur Sarah Lefton and writer…
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Books Found in Translation
Crossposted from Haaretz Moshe Sakal lived for six years in France, where he learned to speak fluent French with a Parisian accent, but when he talked to his Egyptian-born, French-speaking grandmother back home in Israel – she would give him a haughty look. “She spoke like Dalida,” he said, referring to the popular multilingual Egyptian…
The Latest
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Jack Gottlieb, Composer for the Synagogue and the World
Composer Jack Gottlieb, who passed away February 23 at the age of 80, was often asked to speak and write about Leonard Bernstein, the maestro whom he served in his youth as an assistant at the New York Philharmonic. But Gottlieb was one of the finest musicians around in his own right, and in a…
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Conan Apologizes (Sort Of) for Anne Frank Comparison
A large part of Conan O’Brien’s charm used to be that he was different — or appeared to be — from other late-night talk-show hosts: less smarmy than Jay, less misanthropic than Dave. For at least some fans, O’Brien’s departure from “The Tonight Show” last year was disappointing because of how it revealed that he,…
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Monday Music: Klezmer That’s Coming and Going
Although they’ve had a number of earlier releases, “Where we come from… Where we’re going,” a challenging CD that is almost equal parts avant-garde jazz and klezmer music, was my introduction to Klezmokum, an Amsterdam-based band (Mokum is the old Jewish name for Amsterdam) led by Burton Greene, a pianist with a long history and…
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Books Sephardim Strike Back!
Reyna Simnegar is the author of the recently published “Persian Food from the Non-persian Bride: And Other Sephardic Kosher Recipes You Will Love.” Her 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…
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Out and About: Woody Allen on Marriage; Cynthia Ozick on Being a Jewish Writer
The latest issue of Habitus features eight poems by Esther Dischereit. The winners of the 2011 Rappaport Prize, a one million dollar award given annually to two Israel painters, have been announced. Woodie Allen talks about his controversial marriage. Cynthia Ozick accepts the Jewish Book Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Philip Glass is so prolific that…
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This Week in Forward Arts and Culture
Philologos re-considers the linguistic distinctiveness of Yeshivish, with a Yeshivish translation of the Gettysburg Address as exhibit A. Michael Kaminer visits an exhibit the Royal Ontario Museum that ponders the future of “the world’s most valuable resource” in the Middle East. Jordana Horn reviews “The Gift to Stalin,” a Kazakh movie not starring Borat about…
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Friday Film: 150 Years of French Class
And now, a different kind of Jewish film festival. “In the Beginning Was a School…,” a two-part documentary celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Alliance Israelite Universelle, has its American premiere March 13 at the New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. Traditional in its visual presentation — talking heads intercut with archival footage, animation, video…
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Naked Cowgirl Can Keep Her Name, Free of Charge
Sandra Brodsky can stay naked. Brodsky — better known as ex-stripper Sandy Kane — has won the right to continue calling herself The Naked Cowgirl after a failed lawsuit by Robert Burck, better known as the guitar-toting Naked Cowboy. The battle of the Clotheless Cowpeople was bared yesterday by Metro, which obtained terms of a…
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