For some of us, the holidays generate a nostalgia for Jewxploitation, and we’ve despaired that we’d never see The Hebrew Hammer again. Fortunately, there is some holiday cheer in the news: The Hammer may be back. But it is not yet time to fully rejoice. The Jewish superhero will return, provided that filmmaker Jonathan Kesselman manages to raise enough money through crowdsourcing to fund production of a sequel to his 2003 cult hit.
‘Crowdfunding’ is quickly becoming the norm for grassroots funding of artists and inventors. Jewish projects have found their backing on sites like Kickstarter.
This back yard serves as the unofficial office for Jewcer - an online crowdfunding platform. It aims to gather financial support for Jewish projects around the world. It’s sort of like fundraising. Crowdfunding is a relatively new concept. In short - it’s a lot of people pledging a little bit of money - or Shekels - to help fully fund a project. Jewcer Co-Founder Naomi Leight, says it’s a lot like the concept behind the JNF Pushke boxes. She and four others, including Amir Gieeon, decided to start Jewcer.com, bringing the concept to the digital age. On Jewcer - anyone with an idea can register, and receive a dedicated webpage on the Jewcer.com platform, which makes it easy for Jews world-wide to browse projects, and help one another. You don’t have to Jewish to list a project, or contribute. But there is one Jewish-related requirement: Each project has a set goal. Artistic Theater Director Aaron Henne set out to raise 25-hundred US dollars in 45 days. His goal was met 13 days early. Because of that success - the Dybbeuk Theater in Los Angeles will present ‘Cave… a Dance for Lilith’ this November. Filmmaker Jessie Kahnweiler met her $4000 dollar goal - with donations from Israel where she rediscovered her Jewish identity for her web series ‘Dude, Where’s My Chutzpah.’ She also offered incentives. Those who want to contribute - simply click “Fund This Project.” Any amount is welcome. No one is charged unless the project is ‘fully’ funded by the set due date. For the …