Imagine a bunch of angry Jewish men in the same place, at the same time. Is it a daily morning minyan at a dying Conservative synagogue? Or is it a Noah Baumbach film? Yep, it’s the second one. The trailer is just out for The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), the writer-director’s latest project, fresh off of Cannes.

Jewcy is on a summer residency! To read this piece, and our others for July and August 2017, go to our big sister site, Tablet Magazine!

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If you missed that Ben Stiller was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014, it’s because he wasn’t saying anything. He only let the public know last month on the Howard Stern Show (followed by a post on Medium), and followed up yesterday, during an interview on the Today Show. But the news (*spits superstitiously,*) is good!

“I’m doing great,” Stiller told the Today Show. “I was really fortunate that my course of treatment was basically an operation, and that was it.”

Stiller, who’s 50, also spoke about the test that detected the cancer, a controversial screening known as PSA that some professionals fear may lead to false positive diagnosis. Not so in his case, and he claims that early detection saved his life.

Certainly, Stiller didn’t let his health scare get in the way of his career— for better or worse, we have Zoolander 2, for example. And Stiller appeared only this past week at the Brooklyn protest at a playground defaced with a swastika (Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys led the event; the park was named after Adam Yauch).

Photo by Eva Rinaldi via Flickr.

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Happy birthday, Ben Stiller!

The actor and comedian turns 49 today, and I’m using the occasion as an excuse to post this amazing clip from Keeping the Faith (2000), in which he demonstrates his Jewy bona fides as the Hip Young Rabbi who hires a gospel choir to invigorate his stodgy congregants. (Quick refresher, for those who didn’t waste their precious adolescence memorizing B-grade film plots: Stiller plays a rabbi unwittingly caught in a romantic rivalry with his childhood friend, a priest played by Edward Norton. The object of their affection? The very gentile, very verboten Jenna Elfman.)

As far as rom-coms go, it’s no Annie Hall, but I’d give it a solid… B minus, I guess? I mean, the plot is absurd—the entire film pivots on the notion that religious leaders will actually feel guilty about succumbing to sexual temptation, which, LOL—but it’s fun, kind of? Jenna Elfman in her prime!

Now also seems like an apt moment to remind you all that when Ben Stiller’s band performed “Hey Jude” at his bar mitzvah, Jerry Stiller got upset and rushed the stage because he thought they were singing “Hey Jew.” Halevai.

Until 120, Ben!

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Sagittarius (Nov. 21-Dec. 20): Oif itlechen terets ken men gefinen a nei’eh kasheh: To every answer you can find a new question.

The archer always hits his mark. Sagittarius was the tribal symbol of Ephraim and Manasseh. The sign was also associated with Joash, king of Israel, shooting arrows out of the window eastward at the command of the dying Elisha.

Your astrological symbol is the Centaur, half-man and half-horse, exemplifying humanity’s dual nature. The archetypal explorer, Sagittarius is the sign of the bachelor: you are both a seducer and an upholder of wisdom and justice. Your mutable nature highlights the tension between the civilized human and the instinctive animal. Sagitarrians are often said to be tactless. More likely, however, like the archer, you know exactly what to target when you are angered—you have the ability to sense others’ weak spots

You see the world for what it is and want to explore it to the farthest ends. Most comfortable when you are doing things on your own, you have the courage of your convictions by your side and are adept at explaining anything with frankness and candor. Very analytical and patient, you make an excellent teacher.

The high social energy of the full moon lunar eclipse in Gemini, November 28 lights up your need to share your philosophies, while the new moon in Capricorn on December 13 encourages you to apply them to your own life. These energies are great for gaining perspective on the past. Broaden your horizons, and actualize the changes you’ve resolved to put in action. Az me zucht, gefint men: If you seek, you will find.

Famous Sagittarius Jews: Isaac Bashevis Singer, Ben Stiller, Bette Midler, Woody Allen, Eugene Levy, Gary Shandling, Harpo Marx, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Baruch Spinoza, Sammy Davis, Jr., Rahm Emanuel, Mose “The Rabbi of Swat” Solomon, Eli Wallach, Harold Gould, Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg, Jakob Dylan, Mandy Patinkin, Howie Mandel, Paul Celan, Randy Newman, Ira Gershwin, Nostradamus (either Dec 14 or 21).

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 21-JANUARY 20): Action-hero Mars will be in your sign from November 16 to December 25, encouraging you to gantseh k’nocker (put it all on the table). While these energies direct you toward things to come, keep an eye on the past: a historical artifact or philosophy may be the key to your future.

AQUARIUS (JANUARY 21-FEBRUARY 20): With your ruling sign Uranus turning direct on December 13, you have the opportunity to actualize the psychological exploration you’ve been doing since the summer. With the big pay off for all of your intuitive inner-changes around the corner, don’t be afraid to rock the boat!

PISCES (FEBRUARY 21-MARCH 20): Life seems to have been putting you through one trial after another, but how you come out of the wringer is up to you. Your ruling planet Neptune is finally moving direct, which should help you apply the lessons you’ve learned. Try not to feel farfaln (hopeless)—but remember: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 20): Your ruling planet Mars will be in earthy, practical Capricorn until the end of December. This gives you a chance to focus on your career and other worldly tasks, you gantseh makher (big shot). However, something may still be stuck in your craw. Before you get all broygis (pissed off), consider any minor adjustments you’ve been ignoring—maybe you need to take a page from Dr. Ruth and pay more attention to your love life.

TAURUS (APRIL 21- MAY 20): Your ruling planet Sweet Venus is in the intense sign Scorpio. You eingeshparht bulls may be fools for love, but staying grounded can help you combat the intensity. Keeping busy and listening to your heart is the first step to sharing it with someone else.

GEMINI (MAY 21- JUNE 20): Even if it’s true that Az men hot nit tsu entfern, muz men farshveign—If one has nothing to say, it’s best to shut up—you Geminis resent being told to bite your tongue. The Mercury retrograde was rough on you, but now that your ruling planet will be moving direct for the rest of 2012, your communications will ease. Use your powers of persuasion and your rich imagination more subtly: it’ll give you an air of mystery.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 20): The Lunar eclipse on November 28th in social butterfly sign Gemini gives you cause to criticize your fun-loving astrological neighbors, priding yourself on the fact that you don’t suffer fools gladly. But it might do you some good to take a look in the mirror before throwing any more stones. Before you start schvitzing, take a chill pill and focus that constructive criticism inward.

LEO (JULY 21-AUGUST 20): What gives light must also endure burning, and your bright Leo sun has burned you more than you’d like to admit. It may seem like you’ve been fighting a losing battle, but maintain some balance, you volatile beasts! The total eclipse of the heart on November 28 will give you a much needed boost.

VIRGO (AUGUST 21-SEPTEMBER 20): With your ruling planet Mercury mercifully direct for the remainder of 2012, channel your energy into a more creative direction. Profound mood changes may coincide with the Full Moon eclipse in Gemini. Ignore the impulse to give into the plotka-macher sitting on your left shoulder. Instead, let the socially astute maiden on your right guide you.

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 21-OCTOBER 20): You may be swamped with responsibilities, misinformation, and money problems: oy gevalt! It may be difficult, since you Libras tend to be pisk malukheh—all talk and no action—but try to solve these problems on the New Moon on December 13. If you commit to finding a solution, it should pay off by the end of the year.

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 21-NOVEMBER 20): A ligner darf hoben a guten zechron: A liar should have a good memory. You not only play your cards close to your chest, you also play for keeps. With Lovely Venus is in your sign until December 15, you may experience an intense yearning for what’s far away. Look beneath the surface of things to determine what you really want.

What’s Your Sign?
Stinging Scorpio (October 21-November 20)
Lovely, Lawful Libra (September 21-October 20)
Virgo, the Anxious Maiden (August 21-September 20)
Leo, King of the Jungle (July 21 – August 20)

The post Jewcy Horoscopes: Sagittarius, the Adventurous Archer (Nov. 21 – Dec. 20) appeared first on Jewcy.

• Who’s behind the active IDF Twitter and Facebook accounts? Some ‘kids.’ [Tablet]

• The Ben and Jerry’s factory near Kiryat Malachi posted a picture of what happens to the ice cream when an air raid siren goes off and employees need to leave their posts. [Times of Israel]

• Jason Diamond wonders what will happen to Jewish fiction in a post-Philip Roth era. [NY Observer]

• This is awkward, but Anna Wintour totally has a crush on Ben Stiller. [Huffington Post]

• Joan Rivers was approached by border agents while on a boat in England. Click through for requisite plastic surgery joke. [AOL]

• Watch Paul Rudd make late night lemonade out of a theatergoer vomiting during a performance of his play, Grace. [Gothamist]

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• This Santa Claus look-alike was asked to stop agreeing to pose for pictures with children while visiting Disneyworld.

• A look at how the Israeli television series, Prisoners of War, stacks up against its Claire Danes-starring American equivalent, Homeland—and a reminder that the first season of Prisoners of War is available for online viewing on Hulu.

• Israeli designer Yigal Azrouël crafted a trendy baseball tee as part of a high-fashion collaboration between the New York Mets and the CFDA.

• Goop maven Gwyneth Paltrow’s new film is called Blood, Bones & Butter, gulp.

• Gene Wilder had a lot of input on his Willy Wonka costume.

• Akiva Schaffer, the other guy behind SNL Digital Shorts, talks about directing the new Stiller/Vaughn/Hill flick, The Watch. Here’s a very foul-mouthed, definitely NSFW preview:

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Film critic J. Hoberman’s review of The Three Stooges includes the best sentence we have heard in a long time: “A Jew could be a shlemiel, a shlemazl, a shmo, a shmegegge, a shlepper, a shnorrer, a shtarker, a zhlub, a nudnik, a gonef, or a shmuck.” Ultimately, however, Hoberman argues that in their new film, The Three Stooges, the Farrelly brothers have “deracinated a Jewish classic.”

He explains:

As reconfigured by the Farrellys (and part of their concept from the script’s first draft), Curly, Larry, and Moe are the products of a Catholic orphanage and, to the degree that the movie has a narrative, it concerns their good-hearted, knuckle-headed, amply violent attempts to save the institution from being sold. In his recently published The New Jew in Film, Nathan Abrams ascribes specifically Jewish content to the Farrellys’ 1998 classic There’s Something About Mary in the grotesque schlemielishness of Ben Stiller zippering a bit of his scrotum. But the Farrelly Stooges are positively not Jewish—although there is a vestigial trace. The meanest nun in the orphanage, Sister Mary Mengele [sic], is played in drag by Larry David (the Farrellys’ original choice for Larry) as a de facto fourth Stooge.

Dumb, Dumberer, and Dumberest [Tablet Magazine]

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