Movie theatres across the U.S. get stuffed with shmaltz during the holiday season. In 2003, one movie joined the celebration but dared to be different: Enter "The Hebrew Hammer." Starring Adam Goldberg as Mordechai, an Orthodox Jewish private detective. A Jewish James Bond, the Hebrew Hammer is sent by the Jewish Justice League to thwart a plan by Santa Claus' evil son Damian (played by Andy Dick) to steal Hanukkah. The over-the-top comedy exploits just about every Jewish stereotype possible, and pokes fun at the other religions, as well. The movie developed an underground following, and now, nearly a decade after the original hit the screens, director Jonathan Kesselman is planning to produce a sequel. Kesselman sought to get funding for filming using Jewcer, a website that presents projects involving the Jewish community allowing users to donate money. In less than a week, he raised more than $22,000 from donors around the world. Kesselman was encouraged by the support, saying that getting funding for a film "is like jumping off of a cliff," but that he was moved by the outpouring of support from fans around the world. The premise of Kesselman's sequel is written on the Jewcer page: "Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the synagogue... When Hitler gets his hand on Time Sukkah technology and begins rewriting Jewish history, Mordechai Jefferson Carver (The Hebrew Hammer) and Mohammed Ali Paula Abdul Rahim set out through time to stop him. Can the Hammer and Mo prevent Hitler from un-inscribing the Jewish people from the Book of Life-" Next to the description, the page has the various levels of contribution and their associated Jewishly themed titles. For example, a "Big Macher" (a Yiddish term for an influential person, or big shot) one who pledges more than $1,000 also receives an associate producer's credit for the film. Kesselman was born in Los Angeles. His father, born to an Orthodox Jewish family in New York, flew to Israel to fight in its War of Independence in 1948. After returning to the U.S., he moved to Los Angeles, where Jonathan was born. Kesselman showed "The Hebrew Hammer" in numerous festivals, including the Jerusalem Film Festival. He intends to return to Israel in the coming year to celebrate the film's 10th anniversary, and is considering filming a portion of the sequel in Israel. "The basis of 'The Hebrew Hammer' was the blaxploitation films of the 1970s," Kesselman said. "I don't like the cinematic style as much as I appreciate the social message. The movies presented black heroes, overly aggressive and incredibly sexual. Starting with that, I decided to take Jewish stereotypes to the point of absurdity; at that extreme, they lose their negative power. I wrote it to make people laugh. If you make them laugh, you've won."
The Hebrew Hammer will strike again
Ten years after directing the "Jewsploitation" film "The Hebrew Hammer," director Jon Kesselman decides to start raising money for a sequel • Kesselman raises more than $22,000 in less than a week via Jewish community project website Jewcer.
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