The Hebrew Hammer

The Hebrew Hammer is a film that was released in 2003. It stars Adam Goldberg, Judy Greer, Andy Dick, Mario Van Peebles, and Peter Coyote. The plot concerns a Jewish superhero known as The Hebrew Hammer who must save Hanukkah from an evil Santa Claus who wants to destroy Hanukkah and make everyone celebrate Christmas. The film is set up as a parody of blaxploitation films (Melvin Van Peebles even appears in it, as "Sweetback"). Director Jonathan Kesselman has jokingly dubbed it the first "Jewsploitation" or Jewish exploitation film ever.

Controversy

The Hebrew Hammer parodies many common stereotypes about Jews. Some Jews find this insulting rather than amusing. Others consider the movie to be crude and vulgar for the sake of vulgarity, and lacking in any real humor.

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During filming, the movie came to the attention of the Anti-Defamation League, who were concerned that it might promote unfavorable images of Jews. After viewing it, they concluded that the film was not anti-semitic in any way.

Related Topics:
Anti-Defamation League - Anti-semitic

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Many scenes were shot in Borough Park, Brooklyn, which has a large community of Hasidic Jews. Filmmakers were initially concerned that they might protest the movie, as they did with the 1998 film A Price Above Rubies, and shut down filming. To their relief, the reaction of the Hasidim in Borough Park was almost uniformly positive, and several residents of the neighborhood show up as extras in the movie.

Related Topics:
Borough Park - Brooklyn - Hasidic Jews - 1998 - A Price Above Rubies

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