Weekly Schmooze: Haim's epic 'Hanukka Song' cover

Jewish culture news worldwide: The final roundup of Festival of Lights videos; Billy Joel at MSG; Gal Gadot is Wonder woman.

By LAHAV HARKOV
weekly schmooze 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
weekly schmooze 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The last night of Hanukka may have been last night, but today is the last day, which means holiday-themed videos are still legit. Especially when they're made by indie darlings HAIM, the band made up of three Jewish sisters, covering the famous Adam Sandler Hanukka song.
Celebrity stylist and reality TV star Rachel Zoe took an adorable Hanukka picture with her son Skylar. The Schmooze doesn't have the heart to let her know that challah isn't really a Hanukka food.
If your Hanukka wasn't sufficiently epic, comedian Rachel Bloom will remedy that with her hilarious hard rock take on the holiday story. Latkes, by the way, are made so that God can carbo-load before fighting Emperor Zod.
Here in Israel, this trick would never work, but comediennes Ari and Emma practice faking Hebrew for when you're in "temple" (because in "shul" they'd see right through you) to great comedic effect reminiscent of the "All That" classic character Pierre Escargot.
Check out Moshe Kasher's set on Comedy Central's "This is Not Happening," in which comedians tell true stories. It's full of great jokes about Israel and how people assume if you're Jewish you must have an opinion. Plus, he talks about the 18 year olds who seem to fill Jerusalem and the Off the Wall Comedy Club each year.
In celebrity news, every American Jew's dad's favorite singer Billy Joel just became a Madison Square Garden franchise. That's right – The New York Knicks, The New York Rangers, The New York Liberty and the Piano Man. Joel will play a show once a month in the Manhattan arena for as long as there is audience demand. This seems like an appropriate time to hear "New York State of Mind:"
Here are a couple of other celebrity news items from JPost.com this week:
Former Miss Israel and "Fast and Furious" star Gal Gadot is the new Wonder Woman! Gadot will star in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman film, with Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill in the title roles.
Photo: Reuters
Photo: Reuters
"That 70s Show" couple Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are planning to have kids, according to gossip sites, and want to raise them with the mother's religion, Judaism. Said gossip sites say Kunis' family very traditional and is pushing for some Jewish babies. Kunis, 30, was born in Ukraine and emigrated to the US at age 7. Kutcher, 35, is not Jewish, but is an adherent of the Rabbi Philip Berg version of Kabbalah.
Bob Dylan is being investigated in France for comments he made in Rolling Stone in September 2012. He said "Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood," a Croatian community organization in France complained, and according to French law, all complaints of racism are investigated.
Last but not least: Lady Gaga is planning to come to Tel Aviv this summer! According to Channel 2 News, she will likely play in Park Hayarkon. This will be Gaga's second performance in Israel.
If you have any news to share with The Weekly Schmooze,write to: weeklyschmooze@gmail.com