Presents
The Hebrew Hammer
A film by
Jonathan Kesselman
Starring
Adam Goldberg
Judy Greer
Andy Dick
Mario Van Peebles
Peter Coyote
Nora Dunn
Sales:Press:
Cassian Elwes Howard CohenJeremy Walker / Jessica Haines
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CAST
Mordechai Jefferson Carver………………………………………………Adam Goldberg
Esther…………………………………………………………………….……..Judy Greer
Santa ‘Damian’………………………………………………………………….Andy Dick
Mohammed……………………………………………………………..Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief…………………………………………………………………...Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim……………………………………………………………….…….Sean Whalen
Jamal…………………………………………………………………………….Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver……………………………………………………………………..Nora Dunn
Santa………………..…….…………………………………………………Richard Riehle
Sweetback………………………………………………………….….Melvin Van Peebles
Tikva……………………………….……………………………………..…Rachel Dratch
Shlomo………………………………………………………………………Harrison Chad
Skinhead Bartender…………………………………………………………Jim Petersmith
Mrs. Highsmith……………………………………..……………………..Annie McEnroe
Young Mordechi………………………………………………………..Grant Rosenmeyer
Blonde Bombshell…………………………………………………………Elaine Hendrix
Israeli Rental Agent…………………………………………………..……Ayelet Ben-Hur
Tony…………………………………………………………………….……Alex Corrado
Jimmy…………………………………………………………………….……..Brad Duck
Adolescent Hasidic Boy…………………………………………………….…Jason Fuchs
Edward I. Koch……………………………………………………………………Himself
Head Elf…………………………………………………………………………Gary Pratt
Mun Chi…………………………………………………………………….Woodrow Asai
Teenage Gentile……………………………………………………………….Daryl Wein
Gentile Boy #1…………………………………………………………..Michael J. Mylett
Gentile Boy #2……………………………………………………………..…T.J. Sullivan
Gentile Girl #1………………………………………………….……….Audrey Twitchell
Gentile Girl #2……………………………………………………………Alexa Eisenstein
Old Woman……………………………………….…………………………..Evelyn Page
Chairman of the Worldwide Jewish Media Conspiracy………………...…George Hosmer
ADL Chairman………………………………………………………….…Ronald Schultz
JDL Member #1…………………………………………….………………Leslie Shenkel
JDL Member #2…………………………………………….…………...…Alan Nebelthau
Council Elder……………………………………………..………………Jerome Richards
Sammy Davis Jr. Jr…………………………………………………………….C.P. Lacey
Black Teen………………………………………………………………..Ephraim Benton
White Accountant…………………………………………………………….....David Lee
Addict Jewish Child……………………………………………………………Adam Rose
Blonde Gentile Girl……………………………………………………..Devin Rene Burns
Freckle Faced Gentile……………………………………………………..…Jimmy Walsh
Samples Woman…………………………………………………………….Chris McGinn
Bambi…………………………………………………………..…………Kathryn Gordon
MC Hammer……………………………………………………………………C.P. Lacey
Harriet Tubbleman……………………………………..……………………..Anna Berger
Carnival Worker……..…………………………………………………..…….Ivan Sandro
Joshua………………………………………………………………………...Jeff Marlowe
Bandleader…………………………………………………………………...Ronald Shore
Chaim Feygele……………………………………………………..……….Tom Chalmers
Elf Flunky…………………………………………………………David Joseph Steinberg
Sassy Black Prostitute……………………………………………………….Mylika Davis
Hatcheck Guy…………………………………………………….…….Moshe Kesselman
Macabee………………………………………………………..………..David Kesselman
FILMMAKERS
Written and Directed by………………………………………………Jonathan Kesselman
Producers...... Josh Kesselman
...... Sofia Sondervan
...... Lisa Fragner
Executive Producers...... Edward R. Pressman
...... John Schmidt
Associate Producers...... Aimee Schoof
……………………………………………………………………...…………Isen Robbins
Director of Photography……………………………………………..Kurt Brabbée, A.S.C.
Production Designer...... Cabot McMullan
Art Director...... David Ellis
Set Decorator...... Shane Klein
Costume Designer...... Alysia Raycraft
……………………………………………………………………………Michelle Phillips
Hair…………………………………………………………………………Loretta Alston
Makeup……………………………………………………………….Persefone Karakosta
Casting by...... Valerie McCaffrey, C.S.A.
Sound Recording…………………………………………………………..Theresa Radka
Sound Editing………………………………………………………………Lou Kleinman
Composer...... Michael Cohen
Editor...... Dean Holland
Unit Production Manager...... Yurgi Ganter
Production Supervisors...... Moe Bardach
……………………………………………………………………...…………F.L. Wright
Production Coordinator...... Michele Proyect
1st Assistant Director...... Urs Hirschbiegel
Post Production Supervisor ………………………………………………..Douglas Salkin
Music Supervisor……………………...…………………………………………Andy Hill
THE HEBREW HAMMER
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“The Hebrew Hammer,” is an action-comedy written and directed by 28-year-old Jonathan Kesselman. The film stars Adam Goldberg in the title role, with Judy Greer, Andy Dick, Mario Van Peebles, Peter Coyote and Nora Dunn starring in supporting roles.
By creating “The Hebrew Hammer,” Kesselman has brought to life a character rarely seen in Hollywood or off-Hollywood films: a sexy and powerful Jewish action hero.
Just as such indelible films as Melvin Van Peebles’ “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” and Gordon Parks’ “Shaft” were reactions to Hollywood’s inability or unwillingness to portray strong, sexy Black characters in the early 70s, Kesselman’s “Hammer” is his way of creating a new hero for a new generation.
Like any exploitation film, “The Hebrew Hammer” pitches stereotypes like flaming fastballs at a knowing audience. But it would be wrong to say that Kesselman, by creating a “Shaft” with peyos, is satirizing the Blaxploitation genre. Instead, Kesselman is honoring the genre, proud that he, too has made a picture with a built-in audience in mind.
Kesselman is also a huge fan of slapstick comedy, worshiping at the altar Zucker/Abrams and Mel Brooks movies. By having Adam Goldberg exaggerate the Hammer’s Jewishness the same way that Leslie Nielsen pushed his character’s utterly white-bread naivete, Kesselman is hoping to break new comedic ground.
Written and directed by Jonathan Kesselman, “The Hebrew Hammer” was shot on 33 New York City locations in four and a half weeks in the spring of 2002. Kesselman’s brother, Josh Kesselman of Jericho Entertainment, produced the film with R&BFM’s Lisa Fragner and ContentFilm’s Sofia Sondervan. ContentFilm’s Edward R. Pressman and John Schmidt are executive producers.
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GOOD GUYS
MORDECHAI JEFFERSON CARVER, a.k.a. THE HEBREW HAMMER
What drives ordinary men to greatness? Why are heroes made, not born? What does it take to get a guy into a really pimpy, knee-length black leather coat and a low-riding baby blue Caddy with white fur interior?
For Mordechai Jefferson Carver, it started when he was the only Jewish boy in school.
Every December, Mordechai looked on while his gentile peers got pricey presents under brightly-lit trees, while all Mordechai got was a dreidel and their disdain.
But Carver stayed true to his heritage.
Today, Mordechai Jefferson Carver is known throughout the world as The Hebrew Hammer, the baddest Heeb this side of Tel Aviv, a stylish strongman, a protector of the innocent, a man’s mensch in these troubled times.
A hero on his hometown Brooklyn streets following a “situation” he “took care of” on the West Bank in the not-too-distant past, the Hammer runs a quiet business as a private investigator – he’s a certified circumcised dick – when he’s not protecting the traditions of his people from destructive outside forces.
But still, his mother wishes he’d done more with his life.
BLOOMENBERGANSTEINTHAL, Head of the J.J.L. (Jewish Justice League)
A hard-line Heeb who oversees a secret, Senate-like organization comprised of the influential heads of such powerful forces as the Anti-Denegration League, the Worldwide Jewish Media Conspiracy and various Sage Elders, Chief Bloomenbergensteinthal is charged with defending the Jewish people and its traditions in times of crisis. His word can move mountains, motivate world leaders, or get another Adam Sandler movie made.
Though deeply respectful of his heritage, the J.J.L. Chief has liberal views and is a relatively open and accepting person. His deputy, for example, is Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.
ESTHER BLOOMENBERGANSTEINTHAL
Like the child of any great leader, Esther has grown up understanding power and the privilege and responsibility it brings. But Esther also knows her power as a young woman, and uses it to manipulate the Hammer into helping her father’s cause. As handy with a 9mm as she is with her feminine wiles, Esther will become the Hammer’s sidekick before he knows he needs one.
MOHAMMED, Head of the KLF (Kwanzaa Liberation Front)
As head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front, Mohammed is smart enough to know that a threat to one alternative to the Christian holiday is a threat to his. But he is also one of the Hammer’s oldest and closest friends, brothers in their fight against oppression and in their sense of fashion. Mohammed leads a group of Panther-like activists who, though enveloped in clouds of acrid purple smoke, a cache of heavy artillery and a harem of fine ladies, are on “full alert mode” once they hear that Santa’s “got a brand new bag and it’s velvety red and it ain’t gonna be overnight fedexed to Jerusalem.”
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BAD GUYS
DAMIAN CLAUS – As the only heir to the red suitin the Claus family lineage,
Damian is not looking to follow in his father’s footsteps as a tolerant Santa, one who embraces the other cultures and holidays. Instead, the bitter and angry Damian believes that only Christmas should be allowed to exist. To put his diabolical plan into action, he murders his father and sets about to destroy Hanukkah by any means necessary, even if it means killing his father’s old friend and ally, The Hebrew Hammer.
TINY TIM – The young sweet optimistic boy from a Christmas Carol has grown up into a common street criminal and Damian Claus’s right hand man…did you really believe Ebeneezer Scrooge would always take care of the Cratchets?
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A GLOSSARY OF TERMS
BAR MITZVAH – n. Hebrew (BAR MIS-vah) Literally, “son of the commandment.” When a Jewish boy becomes 13, he is bound “by the commandment”; in other words, he is now responsible for fulfilling Jewish law. The phrase also refers to the boy himself. Although not mandated by Jewish law, the Bar Mitzvah ceremony has become an established custom. At a Bar Mitzvah ceremony, which usually takes place at Shabbat morning service, the young man will generally read from the Torah and give a speech.. During the Torah reading, family members and friends are honored. The ceremony is usually followed by a joyous party in the afternoon or evening that includes a meal, music and candle lighting.
BEITZAH- n. Hebrew (bay-TSAH) The roasted egg placed on a seder plate during the Pesach seder. The egg is symbolic of several things, including the sacrifices in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, rebirth in the spring, and the Israelites’ new lives in freedom after the Exodus from Egypt.
BOCA RATON- n. A location in Florida populated by a lot of Jews, many of whom are retired.
BOYCHICK- n. Yiddish (BOY-chick) A young boy. Used as an affectionate way to address a man or boy; the equivalent of the American expression “buddy” or “kiddo.” Old fashioned usage.
BUBBELEH – n. Yiddish (BUH-beh-leh) Literally, “little grandmother.” A term of endearment for women of any age, similar to “darling” or “honey.”
CHAIM POTOK’S ‘THE CHOSEN’- The 1981 film adaptation of Chaim Potok’s novel centering on the friendship between Americanized Jew Miller and Hassidic Benson set in 1940s Brooklyn.
CIRCUMCISION- n. English A surgical procedure to remove the foreskin of the penis. In Jewish tradition, circumcision is performed at a religious ritual called a brit milah or bris.
DREIDEL – n. Yiddish (DRAY-duhl) A small, four sided spinning top used in a game during Hanukkah. Every dreidel has a Hebrew letter on each side – nun, gimmel, hay and shin – that together stand for the phrase nes gadol hayah sham, meaning “ a great miracle happened here). The phrase reminds Jews of the Maccabees’ battle for religious freedom and the Hanukkah miracle of the oil.
Dreidels can be made of almost any material. Children make them of clay or paper; artists make them of silver, wood, or porcelain. In the game of the dreidel, each player takes a turn putting money, candy, or some other small object in the center of the circle. Then each spins the dreidel to find out what se or she wins: nun means none, gimmel means all, hay means half, and shin means put one in. In the story of Hanukkah, legend has it that when King Antiochus forbade Jews to study the Torah, they would do their lessons with a dreidel close at hand. When soldiers approached, they could quickly begin to play the dreidel so as not to be caught studying Jewish texts. Today, dreidels and foil-wrapped chocolate coins (gelt) are traditional Hanukkah gifts.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF- 1971 Academy Award winning film musical based on the Broadway play. Ukrainian milkman Tevye clings desperately to the old Jewish traditions
while all around him the world changes, day by day. His three daughters marry men he considers more and more unacceptable, and the ruling Russian government's anti-Semitism threatens to drive him from his home.
GENTILE- n. English The word Jews use to refer to anyone who is not Jewish. Unlike goy, the Yiddish word for non-Jew, gentile has no negative connotations.
G-D – n. English (GEE-DASH-DEE) Another way to write the name of God. This form is often used by traditional Jews, in keeping with Jewish law, to avoid writing God’s name on paper or something else of a temporary nature that might be thrown away or erased. Some people consider it unnecessary to use a hyphen in the word “God” because this is simply another name for the Tetragrammaton-the letters yud, hay, vav, hay – which is the name of God.
GOY- n Hebrew (GOY); pl. goyim (GOY-eem) Common biblical word meaning “nation” or “people.” Today, it is most oftenused among Jews to refer to someone who is not a Jew. Unlike “gentile,” is it often used disparagingly.
HANUKKAH- n. Hebrew (HAH-noo-kah) Literally, “dedication.” Beginning on the 25th of Kislev, which corresponds to late November or sometime in December, Hanukkah is a joyous holiday that celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians and the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in ancient times. Hanukkah is often called the Festival of Lights. The Syrian king, Antiochus, who ruled ancient Israel from 175 to 176 B.C.E., wanted to wipe out Judaism and convert the population to his Greek ways. Citizens were forced to speak Greek and worship Greek gods. It was forbidden to practice Judaism, celebrate Jewish holidays, or study Torah. A Jew named Mattathias, and his son Judah, known as Judah Macabee, led a revolt against the Syrian army. Called Maccabees, the revolutionaries fought for three years against the much stronger Syrian army and finally prevailed. Jerusalem was liberated and the Temple returned to Jewish control. But when the Jews entered the Temple, the found that it had been desecrated with the statues of Greek gods and discovered that there was only enough pure oil to rekindle the eternal flame, the ner tamid, for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days, long enough to purify new oil and rededicate the temple.
Today, Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days. Each night another candle is lit and placed in a special eight-branched candelabra called a menorah. A shamash candle is lit first and used to kindle the others. Families often place their menorahs in a window or other visible spot to bear witness to the miracle. Special blessings are said to thank God for the wondrous events and religious freedom that Hanukkah recalls. Families exchange gifts; play dreidel; and give Hanukkah gelt to children. It is also traditional to eat foods cooked in oil, like latkes or sufganiyot (Israeli jelly donuts), to remember the miracle of the oil.
HAVA NAGILA- n. Hebrew (HAH-vah nuh-GEEL-ah) Traditional Jewish melody, often played at the simchot (Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations and weddings). Guests often dance the hora, a circle dance, to the tune.
HEEB – n. (slang) Formerly a slur used to describe a Jewish person, this term has come into vogue among younger Jews who use it to describe themselves and each other, much like other ethnic slurs have been “taken back” by African Americans. It is also the title of a quarterly magazine about contemporary Jewish culture.
HEBREW- n. English 1. The scholarly and holy language of the Jews, used in prayer. A Semitic language, Hebrew was spoken by the ancient Israelites until the 2nd century B.C.E. when Aramaic took its place as the everyday language. It was not spoken again in the vernacular until modern times, when the State of Israel adopted Hebrew as its national language. 2. The term for Israelites and Judeans before the Babylonian exile in 586 B.C.E. From the Hebrew root ivri, perhaps meaning “one from the other side (of the Jordan River).”
HORA- n. Hebrew (HOE-rah) A traditional Romanian circle dance. This folk dance is the national dance of the State of Israel. The hora is a favorite dance at Jewish weddings and at Bar and Bat Mitzvah receptions. It is often danced to the song “Havah Nagila”
KWANZAA- n. Swahili An African-American cultural festival, celebrated from December 26 to January 1.
LATKE- n. Yiddish (LOT-kah) A fried pancake. The most common type is the potato latke, traditionally eaten on Hanukkah. These latkes are fried in oil to remind Jews of the Hanukkah miracle of the rededication of the Temple, when a tiny bit of oil lasted for eight days. There are many other varieties of latkes, such as carrot, zucchini, and sweet potato. On Pesach, latkes are made from matzah meal.
L’CHAIM- int. Hebrew (luh-KHYE-eem) Literally, “to life.” An age-old Jewish toast – “to your health”- said over wine or liquor with glasses raised.
MANISCHEWITZ- proper noun A sweet flavored 100% Kosher wine made and bottled under the strict Rabbinical supervision of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and traditionally served on most Jewish holidays.
MATZAH – n. (MAH-tsah) pl. matzot (mah-TSOTE) The unleavened, flat cracker made from flour and water that is eaten during Pesach. Matzah is symbolic of the haste with which the Israelites fled from slavery in ancient Egypt. Because they did not have time to allow bread to rise, they packed flat bread to take with them. There are many religious regulations regarding it manufacture. It must be mixed, kneaded and baked within a time span of 18 minutes so that fermentation (and yeast rising) does not occur. Matzah has tiny holes in each sheet to retard the swelling during baking. Today, most matzah is made in factories and is available in supermarkets in a variety of flavors, including whole wheat, onion, and egg. Handmade matzah is often called shemurah matzah.