Circumcise Me: The Comedy of Yisrael Campbell

Description

“As far as we know, Lenny Bruce never had sex with an Orthodox Jew, but if he had he would have produced Yisrael Campbell.” – London Guardian

Synopsis

“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 – Reform, 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. CIRCUMCISE ME is a hilarious, searching and moving story of one man’s quest for spiritual enlightenment against the bewildering backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Directors

David Blumenfeld

David Blumenfeld is a Canadian/American documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Jerusalem, Israel. His documentary films include: “A Hoops Hafla” – About a Jewish and Arab teen befriending at a Streetball tournament; “The Death and Life of Ivansk, Poland” – a quest for the Torah scrolls hidden in his grandfather’s shtetl before the Nazis arrived; “Crossing the Narrow Bridge” – The grandson of “Driving Miss Daisy” discovers his family roots in Germany; and cameraman on the award-winning feature “Martyrs for Hire: Crimes against Children” – About Palestinian child-suicide bombers. In addition, he has filmed and edited features for Channel 4 and BBC and AP. As a photojournalist, Blumenfeld regularly shoots assignments for Newsweek, Time, People, ESPN, Marie Claire, Monocle, NY Times, LA Times, Globe and Mail, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Matthew Kalman

Matthew Kalman is a British news correspondent based in Jerusalem. His newspaper reporting appears in the San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Chronicle of Higher Education, New York Daily News and London Mail on Sunday. His TV reporting has appeared on CTV, Channel 4 News UK and the Jewish Television. This is his first documentary.