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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Is an Abandoned Jerusalem Villa Better Off as a Fringe Theater?
Crossposted from Haaretz A few weeks from now, a new fringe theater center is slated to become home to a number of experimental groups now working in temporary spaces around the Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Theater Group, Psik and Incubator (the local branch of the Nisan Nativ Studio), will all use the new space. The center…
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Out and About: Israeli Judaica Thieves Nabbed; Rise of the Classical Mandolin
Does the Coen Brothers’ “True Grit” draw on ancient Indo-European myth? Forward contributor Zackary Sholem Berger translates two poems, “My Pedigree” by Moyshe Nadir and “Herring Barrels” by Dvoyre Fogel, in the latest issue of Eleven Eleven. Israeli musician Avi Avital has become the first mandolinist to be nominated for a Grammy award in the…
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This Week in Forward Arts and Culture
Gabrielle Birkner watches Yossi Madmoni’s “Restoration,” the only Israeli selection at the Sundance Film Festival. Pianist András Schiff talks to the Forward about growing anti-Semitism in his native Hungary. Gordon Haber reflects on integration and re-segregation in his native Los Angeles. Eileen Reynolds goes to see Yoav Gal’s biblically inspired space-age video opera “Mosheh.” David…
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Friday Film: The Kindness of Strangers
Like Homer’s “Odyssey,” the film “Anita,” which screened in January at the Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival and is showing until February 8 at the New York Reelabilities film festival, is the story of someone trying to find her way home. During the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association building in Buenos Aires,…
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Andrea Bocelli to Perform in Israel this Summer
La Scala, the Met … and increasingly, Masada. The former Roman fortress near the Dead Sea is continuing its emergence as a magnet for world-famous opera stars, with Andrea Bocelli announcing plans on Thursday to perform there this summer. The Italian tenor will sing at the base of the historical landmark on June 12, singing…
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Brad Pitt To Star with Israeli Actress in New Movie
An upcoming Brad Pitt movie will shine the Hollywood spotlight on at least one lucky Israeli actress. Marc Forster, the film’s director, has been in Israel this week to cast one of the story’s supporting roles – a female Israeli soldier who recounts her experiences during a major recent war. The twist, as far as…
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Books The Ones That Missed the Cut
Earlier this week, Saul Austerlitz wrote about his recent author tour and five not-as-terrible-as-you-think movies. 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: One of the trickiest aspects of writing…
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Heath Ministry Allocates Shekels to Solve Problem of Electronic Doors
At the entrances to Israeli hospitals, like public buildings across the world, there are often electronic doors which open when the sensor is set off. No problem – except for observant Jews on the Sabbath, as operating the doors is deemed Sabbath transgression. The Haredi newspaper Yated Ne’eman reports that the Health Ministry, which is…
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Dancing To the Same Beat
Crossposted from Haaretz The young Maria Kong dance troupe shines in its professional production of “Miss Brazil.” It is unlike other independent dance groups, and seems more like an offshoot of the Bat Sheva Dance Company, with the same style of movement and high quality but without Ohad Naharin’s choreography. This is Maria Kong’s second…
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Reimagining Eve: Two Poems by Eve Grubin
Each Thursday, The Arty Semite features excerpts and reviews of the best contemporary Jewish poetry. This week, Jake Marmer introduces two poems by Eve Grubin. “I am certain of nothing but the holiness,” writes Eve Grubin in one of the poems published in her 2005 debut collection “Morning Prayer.” Both uncertainty and holiness are key…
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Putting Israel’s UFO Frenzy Into Historical Perspective
What was that bright white light that descended on Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock early last Friday? An alien spaceship? Proof of a “regional galactic governance council”? An Israeli drone? The Internet is still abuzz with speculation about the mysterious object, which separate video clips captured as it traveled downward toward the Dome of the…
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