Hallmark Hanukkah on Rye
The Hallmark Channel’s newest movie, “Hanukkah on Rye,” premieres on Sunday December 18, at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. The movie stars Yael Grobglas, Lisa Loeb, and Jeremy Jordan. Read on to learn all about where it’s filmed and the cast involved.
‘Hanukkah on Rye’ Was Filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Hallmark
“Hanukkah on Rye” is part of Hallmark’s annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming event, and is the last movie scheduled for this year.
As per the casting worksheet, “Hanukkah on Rye” was filmed in and around Winnipeg in Canada. Shooting was scheduled to start on Sept. 27, 2022, and end Oct. 19, 2022. You can read all of the characters’ descriptions on the casting worksheet. One of their casting calls was for an “EMO GIRL,” which is hilariously described as “This Emo Girl delivers her rendition of a new Hanukkah song. It’s very much a work in progress…” It sounds like this movie has a lot of humor both on the screen and behind-the-scenes!
Tourism Winnipeg confirmed that while the majority of the scenes took place in buildings located in the Exchange District, one of the outdoor sequences was filmed at Old Market Square. The scene includes an outside movie featuring Charlie Chaplain.
Gilbert’s Deli was also built into an already existing building just for the movie, and left some wanting the deli to stay even after filming was finished.
Whenever Hollywood makes Winnipeg look really urban, I wish they could just leave it in place to become real. The Exchange District could use a great sidewalk Deli.
In an interview with Times of Israel, Grobglas said the timing of the movie’s release, which coincides with a considerable uptick in antisemitic rhetoric, seems especially appropriate.
“I think it’s the perfect timing,” she said. “I just felt like this was meant to come out now – it feels very good to be able to represent [Jews] on screen at the moment.”
MediaVillage had an exclusive interview with Grobglas, in which she talked about her heritage.
“There were some things I had to ask my American-Jewish friends about,” she said. “When I first moved to the states I found, for example, the prayers have a different melody [here] than they do in Israel. It was a little trippy relearning the same prayers, basically, in the American tune. But a lot of the movie felt so close to home. There are a lot of shots of sizzling latkes, bobbing matzo balls, and sugary jelly donuts.”
She also closed the interview, saying: “I feel Hallmark hires not only talented people, but people that are kind and just so good at what they do. When that happens on a set, it shines through in the final product. While making this, everybody was smiling and happy to be there, so I’d love to work with everyone again.”
Writer Julie Sherman Wolfe wrote on Instagram: “#HanukkahOnRye (or as one astute Twitterer called it, ‘Jew’ve Got Mail’) is almost here! Sunday 12/18, 8pm! Join me as I live-tweet (@shermwolfe) with tons of behind-the-scenes Easter Eggs. Er, Hanukkah Eggs.”
Wolfe also was very impressed with one particular tweet.
She wrote: “So… ISRAEL — like, the ACTUAL STATE OF ISRAEL — just tweeted about ‘Hanukkah on Rye!’ I feel like I should call my childhood Rabbi and say, ‘Yes, I was a pain in the tuchus, but… look!’ 😂”
Grobglas posted her excitement about the movie on Instagram, writing: “Come see our delightful movie starring myself and one of my favorite humans @jeremymjordan. 💙”
Jordan posted a hilarious video while up in Canada, which you can watch below. When they were shooting over Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, he let everyone know what it was like. Do you think he was bored?
While in Winnipeg, Loeb visited the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
“I was just in Winnipeg working and visited the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (@humanrights.ca). It’s really moving, and you should go if you ever have a chance,” she said.
Meet the Cast
Hallmark
Hallmark’s synopsis reads:
Molly (Grobglas) is poised to become the fourth generation of her family to run Gilbert’s Deli on the Lower East Side of New York City. Now, almost 100 years later, Gilbert’s is the last old-school Jewish deli standing…and it’s getting harder and harder to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Jacob’s (Jordan) family are “deli royalty” in Southern California and have a completely different way of doing business. Jacob wants to make his own mark in the deli world and to do that, he’s spearheading the expansion of Leven’s to New York City just blocks away from Gilbert’s. A couple weeks before the first night of Hanukkah, Jacob’s “bubby” (grandmother) gives Jacob an early Hanukkah gift: she’s signed him up with an infamous matchmaker. Molly’s bubby has the same idea. According to the rules, Jacob and Molly must write handwritten letters under assumed names to get to know each other. As they begin to write to each other under their pseudonyms of Beth and David, they begin to fall for each other. At the same time, Jacob has come to New York to close the deal for the new Leven’s location, and Molly and Jacob meet in real life, and neither is aware they know each other as Beth and David through their letters. There’s an instant romantic connection between them over Hanukkah week until Molly learns Jacob’s identity and realizes he could potentially put her family’s deli out of business. Molly is torn between “David,” who she’s started to fall for thanks to his letters, and Jacob, who she can’t be attracted to despite their conflicts. In the end, will Molly and Jacob put their differences aside and get their own Hanukkah miracle?
Yael Grobglas plays Molly in the movie. According to her bio, she portrayed the twin characters of Petra Solano and Anezka in the CW comedy “Jane the Virgin.” Grobglas’ role was highly acclaimed by viewers.
Grobglas grew up in Israel, where she studied dance and acting, her bio shared. She appeared in several of her home country’s popular TV series, such as “Ha’ Yi” (The Island), “Ha-Shualim” (The Foxes), and “Tanuhi” (Give It A Rest), and she gained international recognition after starring in the Israeli horror film “Kalevet.”
Jeremy Jordan portrays Jacob in the movie. According to his bio, his many roles on TV including being a series regular roles on The CW’s “Supergirl,” NBC’s “Smash,” and Disney’s “Tangled.” Jordan is also known for his performance as Jack Kelly in the Broadway production of “Newsies,” which earned him nominations for both a Tony Award and a Grammy Award. Most recently, he appeared as Seymour in the performance of the “Little Shop of Horrors” that was staged in New York. Next up, Jeremy will play Neil Bogart in the film “Spinning Gold.”
His Hallmark films include “Mix Up in the Mediterranean” and the much-loved “Holly & Ivy” which aired in 2020.
Lisa Loeb portrays Natalie in the movie. According to her bio, she’s a native of Dallas, and is a singer, songwriter, host of her own daily show on SiriusXM, and philanthropist, in addition to being an actor. She got her start in the music industry with the song “Stay (I Missed You),” which was in the film “Reality Bites.” Loeb is the first pop musician to achieve a number-one hit without being under the terms of a recording contract. She went on to have a string of hit songs and six albums overall, two of which were certified gold.
Also starring in the movie are:
- David Eisner (Gabe)
- Lisa Horner (Eve)
- Harry Nelken (Stan)
- Paula Shaw (Esther)
- Tim Nhlazane (Thomas)
- Sam Rosenthal (Ed)
- Linda E. Smith (Liz)
- Angela Narth (Mrs. Mizansky)
- Cora Matheson (Emo Girl)
- Darren Martens (Ezra)
- Dan De Jaeger (Frank)
- Debbie Maslowsky (Grandmother)
- Henriette Ivanans (Owner)
- Jean-Jacques Javier (Messenger)
- Saul Elias (Kid)
- Mariam Bernstein (Mrs. Rosenbaum)
- Christine Vetus (Waitress)
Hallmark’s Hanukkah-themed movie from last year — “Eight Gifts of Hanukkah” — will be airing on December 21, a few days after this movie’s premiere, if you want to continue the Hanukkah viewing theme.