Circumcise Me
Films
48MIN
Availability ended PDT
Documentary/Comedy Short, USA/Israel, 2014. Directed by David Blumenfeld and Matthew Kalman.
“Is it hot in here, or am I the only one dressed for Poland in the 17th century?" Yisrael Campbell looks more like a rabbi than a comedian, but don't be fooled by the big black hat, frock coat and Hasidic side-curls. Born Chris Campbell, the son of an ex-nun and a Catholic schoolteacher, he converted to Judaism not once, but three times - Reformed, Conservative and Orthodox. His spiritual journey began as a drug-drenched teenager in Philadelphia and ended in Jerusalem among the suicide bombs of the Palestinian intifada. So what's to laugh about? It's the way he tells it. A hilarious, searching and moving story of one man's quest for spiritual enlightenment against the bewildering backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sponsored by
Matthew Kalman, co-director and producer, has been a foreign correspondent based in Jerusalem since 1998. He has reported for American publications, including the Boston Globe, Time, Newsweek, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Daily News and USA Today. In addition, he has reported for the British Daily Mail, London Sunday Times, and the Canadian The Globe and Mail. He is currently working with London-based The Independent.
After meeting David Blumenfeld, they created the documentary Circumcise Me which has been screened at more than 50 film festivals in the US, UK, Canada, Israel, and Australia. It is his first documentary.