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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Rick Sanchez Attacks Jon Stewart, Calls Him A ‘Bigot’
Jews run CNN? And the larger news industry? It was just one of many head-turning statements that TV news anchor Rick Sanchez made yesterday while appearing on “Stand Up! With Pete Dominick” on Sirius radio. “I think Jon Stewart’s a bigot,” he exclaimed, then later clarified, “All right, I’ll take the word bigot back; I’ll…
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Q & A: New Yorker Writer Lawrence Wright on Bringing Gaza to the Stage
With his film “My Trip To Al-Qaeda” on HBO in September and his one-man show, “The Human Scale,” about to open in New York City, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and The New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright has a lot going on. During a short window between memorizing his lines and beginning rehearsals, he found time…
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Principal Gives Teachers A Time Out
There’s always something hilarious when teachers — and I write as the husband of a teacher — get a taste of their own medicine. Well, the local press in Ramat Gan, Israel, reports that teachers at the Ohel Shem High School have been told that they aren’t allowed in the staff room until they learn…
The Latest
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Klee Drawing Returned to Owner’s Estate by Israel Museum
A drawing by Swiss artist Paul Klee, who was villfied by the Nazis, who also stole his work from Jewish collectors, has finally been returned to its rightful owner by the Israel Museum. According to this AP story, the drawing, entitled “Veil Dance,” had been owned by German Jewish telephone maker Harry Fuld, Jr. When…
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The Murder of a Nation
Genocide is a difficult topic, and the Armenian Genocide doubly so. Unfortunately, Eric Friedler’s “Aghet: Ein Völkermord,” a German documentary screened in August at the Montreal World Film Festival and last week at the ARPA International Film Festival in Los Angeles, takes a straightforward approach to its subject, and therefore falls short of its own…
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Bidding on a Bacon Statue of Kevin Bacon
Are you a fan of bacon in all its forms? How about a statue of Kevin Bacon — made out of kosher bacon? According to Gizmodo, the owners of a Seattle-based company that makes bacon-flavored condiments (which are, weirdly, both vegetarian and kosher-certified), commissioned an artist to fashion a statue of the actor out of…
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Biblical Clue in Computer Worm?
It sounds like a high-tech thriller with DaVinci Code undertones: A file name inside a lethal computer worm might reference the Biblical Queen Esther — and could finger Israel as the source. A report in today’s New York Times says a file inside the Stuxnet worm’s computer code was named “Myrtus,” possibly a “cross-linguistic wordplay”…
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Israel Gets Glammed Up
Israel received a star-powered bump last night when Hollywood’s finest came out in support at a glittery, star-studded gala. The event, “From Vision to Reality,” took place at the Kodak Theatre, home of the Oscars, and was hosted by the Citizens’ Empowerment Center in Israel. Notable guests included Jon Voight, Israeli-American producer Avi Arad and…
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Books Of a Jewish Banking Dynasty, Only the Sculptures Survived
Edmund de Waal, a British artist and the son of a clergyman of the Church of England, knew he was missing a vital part of himself, but he wasn’t sure what it was. A middle-aged married father of three, he had spent his adult life ensconced in his London studio, where he made thousands of…
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Legendary Actor Tony Curtis Dies at 85
Bernie Schwartz from the Bronx is gone. He was 85. The son of Hungarian Jews — better known as Tony Curtis — died of cardiac arrest at his Las Vegas-area home, the AP reported today. The star earned an Oscar nomination for “The Defiant Ones” (1958) and won over audiences with his charming and handsome…
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Brooklyn Rabbi’s Son Dies in Sukkot Fire
The 8-year-old son of a Brooklyn rabbi died in a Midwood house fire last night as his family celebrated the end of Sukkot and Simchat Torah’s start outside. Avigdor Krasny was the only one of six children who didn’t escape the blaze, according to an Associated Press report. His siblings were saved by their father,…
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