| The Hebrew Hammer | |
|---|---|
DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Jonathan Kesselman |
| Produced by | Lisa Fragner Josh Kesselman Sofia Sondervan |
| Written by | Jonathan Kesselman |
| Starring | Adam Goldberg Judy Greer Andy Dick Mario Van Peebles |
| Music by | Michael Cohen |
| Cinematography | Kurt Brabbee |
| Editing by | Dean Holland |
| Distributed by | Comedy Central Films ContentFilm Strand Releasing |
| Release date(s) | January 23, 2003 (Sundance Film Festival) December 8, 2003 (television premier) December 19, 2003 (limited theatrical release) |
| Running time | 85 mins. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English, Hebrew, Yiddish |
| Budget | $1,300,000 (USD) |
The Hebrew Hammer is a 2003 American film directed by Jonathan Kesselman. It stars Adam Goldberg, Judy Greer, Andy Dick, Mario Van Peebles, and Peter Coyote. The plot concerns a Jewish crime fighter known as the Hebrew Hammer who must save Hanukkah from the evil son of Santa Claus who wants to destroy Hanukkah and make everyone celebrate Christmas.
The film parodies blaxploitation films, and features Melvin Van Peebles in a cameo as "Sweetback".
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The movie begins with a flashback to a young Mordechai Jefferson Carver. At school, Mordechai is tormented by his fellow students and his teacher for being a Jewish child in a Christian themed public school, and celebrating Hanukkah while everyone else celebrates Christmas. He feels further alienated as he walks through his neighborhood and sees a seemingly endless number of Christmas decorations and window displays celebrating the holiday and announcing that Jews aren't welcome. As he lies down on the sidewalk in front of a store saying "Jews Welcome (for about 5 minutes)" and spins his dreidel to cheer himself up Santa Claus walks by and crushes the toy under his foot, then gives Mordechai the finger.
The scene then changes to the present with Mordechai as the Hebrew Hammer, a Certified Circumcised Dick who has dedicated his life to defending Jews. His snappy dress (a cross between that of a pimp and a Hasidic Jew) and tough-guy demeanor have made him a local hero within the Jewish community. Jews and African-Americans have enjoyed a tenuous peace with the White Christians over the previous few decades, because the current Santa (the son of the cruel Santa who stomped Mordechai's dreidel years earlier) has pursued a policy of inclusion and tolerance. This Santa is murdered and replaced by his son, Damien, who seeks to destroy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa thus reserving December for Christmas alone. Mordechai is reluctantly recruited to stop Damien, gaining allies along the way, including love interest and daughter of the Chief of the Jewish Justice League Esther Bloomenbergensteinenthal and the Kwanzaa Liberation Front's leader Mohammed Ali Paula Abdul Rahim.
The fight takes them to exotic locales such as Israel, K-Mart and a final battle at The North Pole.
There are cameos by Melvin Van Peebles and Ed Koch.
"No Animals or Gentiles were harmed in the making of this Motion Picture."[1]
The Hebrew Hammer parodies many common stereotypes about Jews. During filming, the movie came to the attention of the Anti-Defamation League, who were concerned that it might promote unfavorable images of Jews. (The film happens to include a direct parody of the ADL as members of the fictional Jewish Justice League.) Additionally, many Christian groups argued that the film portrayed most Christians as anti-Semitic and intolerant. After viewing the film, Warren Katz of the Anti-Defamation League brought legal action against the producers of the film, but lost in a summary ruling handed down by the U.S. District Court – Northern District of New York.
Many scenes were shot in Borough Park, Brooklyn, which has a large community of Hasidic Jews. Filmmakers were initially concerned that members of the Hasidic community might protest the movie, as they did with the 1998 film A Price Above Rubies, and shut down filming. Reaction of the Hasidim in Borough Park was mixed, however, no organized protest was pursued, and some residents of the neighborhood actually agreed to appear as extras in the movie.
The film receives a rating of 52% on aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes.[2]