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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The Kosher Toothpaste Debate
The Orthodox Union, which certifies as Kosher more than 400,000 products, includes a long discourse on toothpaste on its web site. Though most dentifrices contain glycerin, an animal product that is “unquestionably” non-kosher, it’s not completely clear whether they’re treyf; the OU quotes some complicated rabbinical rulings involving flavor and usage of the product. “If…
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NoPad in Israel
Israel has banned Apple’s new tablet computer, the iPad, because its wireless network is not equipped to handle the use of the machine, the Associated Press reported. The ban applies to both tourists and citizens, and the AP reported that 10 iPads have already been confiscated by customs officials who are charging the owners a…
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Iraq Vet Saves Rabbi’s Wife From Choking at Yankee Stadium
This will show you never to eat stadium food. At Yankee Stadium yesterday, the wife of a prominent New York rabbi was saved from choking to death by an Army medic who had served in Iraq. It all started when Toby Weiss, wife of Rabbi Avi Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, began choking…
The Latest
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The Western Wall’s Advertising Woes
Ever since 1967, Israel has grappled with the problem that its de-facto borders are out of sync with most of the international community’s view of where its territory starts and finishes. Normally, the ramifications are political. But now, it appears that they are also impairing the country’s tourism efforts. The Israeli Government Tourist Office just…
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Yom HaTax Day — Rules for Observance, Bloch by Bloch
How Jewish is tax time? It’s not like there’s a special feast or fast to commemorate it. Yet, there is a principle in the Talmud that discuses your obligation to pay. Considering the coast to coast presence of H & R Block, America’s approach to tax time is pretty Jewish. Ponder this as you shlep…
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Singing Despite Tyranny: The German Jewish Culture Association
Readers of the moving family memoir “The Inextinguishable Symphony: A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany” by Martin Goldsmith (Wiley, 2001) will recall how in 1933, a German Jewish Culture Association (Kulturbund Deutscher Juden) was formed with Nazi permission, which two years later was renamed the Jüdischer Kulturbund (Jewish Culture Association), omitting…
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Pastrami With a Side of Sustainability
In the world of Jewish food, the iconic deli and the sustainable food movement seem like strange bedfellows. But in a post-Alice Waters world such is no longer the case, at least according to an article by Julia Moskin, “Can the Jewish Deli Be Reformed?” in today’s New York Times. Delis, which once thrived on…
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Yarmulke-Wearing Bandit Robs Connecticut Bank
A middle-aged man robbed a Darien, Conn., bank on Monday wearing what might rank as the least intimidating bank robber’s disguise ever: an ill-fitting yarmulke. The man, dressed in a gray coat buttoned up to the neck and a light-blue yarmulke — the sort given out at bar mitzvahs — is shown in security camera…
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List of World’s Richest Jews Offers Some Surprises
Israeli financial newspaper TheMarker came out today with a list of the world’s richest Jews, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Russian mogul Roman Abramovich and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The list ranked the wealthy by sector and industry, with Oracle founder Lawrence Ellison earning the title of Richest Jew in the World with…
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Tickets to Jerusalem: From Russia With Design (via Brooklyn)
Radik Shvarts’ idea was simple enough: design your ideal plane ticket to Jerusalem and mail it to Shvarts care of a PO Box in Brooklyn. A highlight of the 120 tickets he has received from around the world over the past year form the basis of a new exhibition, Ticket to Jerusalem, which opened last…
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It’s A Cappella Time!
Up there in the top five least favorite Jewish traditions is the custom of avoiding live instrumental music between the end of Passover and Lag B’aomer. Being a people of hairsplitting legalists, this custom has engendered a whole new genre, called “s’fira music” — albums upon albums of permissible a cappella tunes (from all male…
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