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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Nearly 50 Jewish Graves Desecrated in France
Forty-nine headstones were broken, knocked over or damaged in a small Jewish cemetery in northeastern France, the European Jewish Press reported. The 19th century cemetery, which contains 126 tombstones, is located in Bar-le-Duc, a town close to the German Border. On Friday evening, a passerby noticed that the cemetery gate, which is usually shut, was…
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Jews and Baseball, by the Numbers
The Fox camera kept returning to Jon Daniels, the Texas Rangers’ Jewish General Manager, during Game Two of the World Series last Thursday. Texas’s bullpen was collapsing in spectacular fashion for the second time this postseason, and Daniels was struggling to stay expressionless. Struggling, but you could see him suffering the frustration that comes from…
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New Jersey Russian Jews Renew Vows in Special Ceremony
For most couples, renewing their vows is a way to express their unwavering love and dedication. But for 11 couples in New Jersey, their second marriage ceremony was an opportunity to commit to something else: Judaism. On Sunday, October 31, these couples, who range in age from 30 to 60 and come from the Russian…
The Latest
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Jewish Children’s Book Hits Germany
Jewish children gather round: “A Horse for Hanukkah” hits bookstores today. Reuters reports that Myriam Halberstam, who is a filmmaker, author and German-American Jew, is releasing a light-hearted children’s book about one horse’s mission to destroy a family’s Hanukkah celebration. The book will be published in English and German by Ariella Books, the first Jewish…
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The Allure of Kosher Food for the Jewish Holidays
Sue Fishkoff is the author of “Kosher Nation: Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority.” 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 visit: When I’m…
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Chicago LGBT Synagogue Was Alleged Target of Explosive Packages
A gay and lesbian synagogue in Chicago was a target of explosive-laden packages from Yemen intercepted by authorities over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Or Chadash, a 100-member congregation whose web site identifies it as “the Chicagoland synagogue serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual Jews, their families, friends and loved ones,” is housed…
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Horas for Headbangers
Back in 1997, “Buena Vista Social Club” introduced American audiences to a style of Cuban music that was popular in Havana in the 1950s. The album charmed the critics, topped the charts, spawned a documentary film, and was championed by Starbucks when the coffee behemoth decided to become a curator of world music. Such a…
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Israeli Art Collector Ami Brown Dies at 81
Crossposted from Haaretz Ami Brown, one of the foremost art collectors in Israel, passed away at his home in Thursday night after a long battle with cancer. He leaves his wife Gaby and their daughter, and was interred yesterday at Kibbutz Shefayim. Brown was born in Tel Aviv in 1929, the middle of three siblings….
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Out and About: Jason Schwartzman on ‘Bored to Death’; Al Pacino on Broadway
In Poland and Hungary, one of the largest cases of Nazi art theft remains unresolved. Jason Schwartzman loves being “Bored to Death.” Garry Shandling’s pioneering HBO sitcom “The Larry Sanders Show” is getting a revival on DVD. Al Pacino brings Shylock from Central Park to Broadway. Read a history of Israel’s modern dance movement. Egyptian…
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Tel Aviv and Beirut Compete For Gay Tourism
Israel and Lebanon are at it again. But there’s no heavy artillery in this battle — unless you count giant sums spent by tourism boards in Tel Aviv and Beirut in a furious competition for gay tourists. With both cities “boasting a trendy nightlife, warm climate and carefree attitude,” reports the Jerusalem Post, efforts to…
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This Week in Forward Arts and Culture
Ron Dicker goes to see “Precious Life,” a documentary that was transformed in the making from a sentimental heart-tugger to a more complicated moral maneuver. Asaf Hanuka goes grocery shopping in “The Two States of Israel.” Philologos talks italics. Mark Cohen reads through all 708 of Saul Bellow’s witty and malicious letters included in a…
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