scene

one:
An outstretched arm reaches across an old magnavox record player and drops a record onto

the turntable. The song is David Eshet's Jerusalem of Gold. We see a record cover with

DAVID ESHET: JERUSALEM OF GOLD SONGS OF THE 6 DAY WAR. Down the arm is a tattoo with

numbers in ink: the mark of a holocaust survivor. Then we see the whole man. It's

grandpa Sam Bilowski, and he looks tired. He sings along a bit with the song, and then

we see him look out the window.

Exterior shots around the Pico Robertson neighborhood show hasidic jews walking and

talking, along with secular looking shop keepers, etc. There are snapshots of various

people taken from live action and converted in black and white to look old school. As

if they were pics taken in an old Shtetl. Then the record stops

Interior Grandpa Sams: His wife, Grandma Irene, 82, barges in.

Irene: What are you doing sleeping in the middle of the daytime? ( he looks back

at her blankly) That's why you're always tired at night!

Sam: Dear, i wasn't sleeping just resting......

Irene: the hell you were

Sam: yes i was, i was waiting for you.

Irene: Well then come with me to the store.

Sam: it's so hot out! Turn the music back on, we'll have a dance.

Irene: no you're coming with me to Eilat's i need to get some onions, some lettuce,

eggplant.

Sam: The eggplant can wait-

Irene- no it can't.

interior: global shwarma: mm is getting off of work. jackson 5's "abc song' blasts.

His girlfriend bethy comes in and they start dancing and singing with the music.

mm: ocd, it's as easy a.d.d, come on come on, it's a.d.d. baby you and me. (Bethy

sees her grandparents across the street, she runs to the door)

Bethy: hi grandpa henry! hi grandma! (They wave and irene pulls him into the store.)

They're so cute, they look like little school kids.

mm: yeah but she orders him around too much. that ain't ever happening with me. (He

grabs her and kisses her) i'm the boss of you, woman. not the other way around.

Bethy: watch it! not so rough!

Exterior: Bethy and mm are walking out of the movie ANVIL. They're walking down

Fairfax.

mm: that was like, at least one of the best documentaries i've ever seen.

Bethy: It was,like really great. (looks at her watch.) We have like, an hour until

sunrise we better get to dad's and mom's.

mm: What? i thought we were going to my uncles for shabbas. you liked it so much better

over there!

Bethy: Of course i did! But last week i told you that if i went to your family's

house for shabbat, you'd have to come to mine this week.

mm: i know. i was hoping you'd forget.

Bethy: why matty? my dad's a sweetheart once you get to know him.

mm: i did used to know him remember? he loved me before i hit puberty. God, i gotta

get out of this town. it's just so much goddamn fun here. but then on the other side of

the coin i gotta put up with this crap.

Bethy: he's got a heart of gold. he's a good dad. Come on, i'll pick up some challah.

They're now in canter's bakery.

mm: he hates me. not that i really care that much.

bethy: he dossn't hate you. he even said he wanted you to come for dinner!

mm: yeah that's so you'd be there- he's accepted the fact that we're the two headed

monster. If he could split us up, he would

Bethy: that's only partially true.

mm: well whatever. i guess i'm obligated. Damn i wish i was still taking those debate

classes my argument skills are going to need some shaping up.

bethy: what needs shaping up is your wardrobe. But i love you anyways. (They kiss.)

Interior, Bilowski household. The youngest, shlomo is sitting next to his dad as they

study from the Talmud. Mom is boiling chicken soup and chopping vegetables.

Bethy and mm walk in. MM goes to the Mr. and shakes his hands.

Mr. B- Hello Moishe.

mm- I don't actually go by Moishe anymore, I'm Matt. Just plain Matt now.

Mr. B- Why is that? I love the name Moishe!

mm- I just never really felt like it was my real name. (to mom) Hi ms. Bilowki.

Mrs. B- Hello. Did you bring your appetite? i hope so i cooked for the whole army.

You don't have to be shy tonight.

mm- Am i ever?

Mr. B- no, just shy about your heritage. Remember your bar mitzvah? It was beautiful!

I always thought you had the makings of a Rebbe. What are you doing now?

Bethy- Matty wants to join the peace corps!

Mr. B- Whatever happened to studying in Israel?

mm- nah, i don't want to do that anymore. I don't consider myself a zionist anymore.

Jewish, yes. Zionist, no. Nobody has more of a right to that land then anyone else....

Mr. B looks like he's going to pop a vein but luckily the grandparents come in and ruin

the argument.

Henry- hi everyone!

Irene- (snapping at him) put this in the fridge before it spoils! (Bethy goes and

gives them both a hug.)

Cut to: Katie's house. Katie is a gothy esthetician, and David's girlfriend. She is

applying eyeliner to him. Jane's Addiction's three days blasts. He looks in mirror.

Katie: So sexy.

David: My dad is going to kill me! (They kiss.) Seriously, can we get this off?

Katie: no. keep it on. do something wild every week. (she shrugs) they'll just have

to get used to it.

David: you don't know them. my mom and dad are like jews from last century. They're

like straight out of a black and white photograph.

Katie: So what. My dad's a quaker.

David: quakers are easy going.

Katie: mom's a mormon.

David: oh.

Katie: just trust me, they'll get over it. it looks rock and roll. perfect for your

gig on sunday. That friday night rule is so lame. you're missing out on all the

parties.

David: so long as i'm under their roof i'm under their rules. (They embrace) dad

still thinks i want to be a cantor. or wishes, maybe. Soon i'll get a job and move

out.

Katie: i'm sure you'll miss your mama's cooking

david: true that. (they kiss) i gotta go.

interior the bilowski's by the time he gets inside they're already lighting the candles

He gives his mom a quick hug and goes to the bathroom. He wipes off the eyeliner.

David: (into the mirror) Pussy. (He shakes his head and goes out join the family.)

They do some standard jewish prayers then start eating.

mm: yo d, how's the band going?

David: Really good! We have a gig sunday, you should come!

mm: where?

David: the joint.

mm: perfect, right up the street. i'm working until 9 what time is it at?

David: starts at 10.

Henry: you gonna play some old songs maybe some of the hits?

David: sure gramps i'll throw one in for ya's

Henry: i always liked sinatra. And elvis could sing too.

irene: quit telling stories!

mm: (to mr. B) you going pops?

david: nah, it's not his thing. Plus he's always busy sunday nights.

mr. b- (to david) what did you do to your HANDS? (He reaches across the table and

inspects dovid's fingernails which are painted in black) why on god's green earth-

mm- don't worry, all the rocker kids do that.

mr. b- With all due respect, my son is not a rocker kid. He's just going through a

phase. (to dovid) why the HELL did you do THAT?

Bethy- daddy, it's not a big deal.

mr. b- not a big deal, my son is painting his nails like a-

irene- like a girl. or a faggele.

henry- but his girlfriend did it so it's ok! and the kids like to show off these

days, i used to do that too, but just in different ways.

bethy- (jokingly) you still show off grandpa.

mm- Even if he was a faggele, you'd still have to love him , he's your son. After all,

my cousin's gay and we all still love him.

irene- oy vey.

rachel, the youngest comes in.

Rachel- sorry i'm late everyone! i had to stay late after school. (she kisses everyone)

i got an A+ on the history test daddy! (MM and Bethy roll their eyes)

mr. B- that's wonderful sweetheart! I'm so proud of you.

Rachel - i'm hoping that after graduating college i can go spend some time in Tel

Aviv. Maybe I'll even go to grad school there.

mom- that would be wonderful, honey.

mm- isn't it kind of dangerous over there?

Rachel- when we went over for Dovid's bar mitzvah i never felt nervous.

mr. b- it's safer there then it is here.

mm- come on sam, my old hebrew school teacher was like 10 yards away from a car bombing

last summer. That was like the day after he emailed me from ben yehuda telling me how

safe it was. You never know.

irene- you never know here, you never know there. we didn't know hitler was going to

come and put us in the ovens!

henry- luckily we didn't go in that line.

irene- no because were teenagers. not too old, not too young. Everyone else in my

family, not so lucky. Except one brother. And he's still in Israel. (To rachel) you

can stay with him if you choose to go.

rachel- thank you grandma.

mm- and you have to ask yourself, if you want your daughter living in a country that

is violating civil rights codes of other human beings- they had no right to push the

Palestinian people off of their land!

bethy- can we not go there sweety?

mr. b- ok, so a country the size of a postage stamp, surrounded by her enemies and

we're the bad ones? the jordanians have persecuted the palestinians worse then we

have.

mm- i mean henry and irene didn't survive the camps so that we could go around pushing

people off of their land.

mr. b- wait a minute, we didn't push anyone off their land. Who was in that dry

uninhabitable piece of desert before we went and irrigated, planted, built- you're just

a punk kid who doesn't know his history. If you spent less time in the hookah bar

and more time with your nose in a book you'd figure that out.

mm- i don't like hookah bars either, sir. i'm what's known as straight edge. That's

why they call me the renouncer.

mr. b- what?

bethy- he doesn't drink or smoke.

dovid- dad, you're the one who used to smoke weed in the 60's.

mm- that was before he found god.

mr. b- grass then wasn't a big deal. i did it a few times.

mm- sure, mr. b.

mr. b- when did you turn into such a (yiddish for smart ass?)

bethy- daddy, matt is a genius.

Mr. B- that's why i don't want him wasting his talents.

mm- mr. b. i'm not one of your yeshiva students, and i'm doing just fine. You can come

out of disciplinary mode. I know you think that because i'm longer adhere to the rules

of the kosher nostra i'm just lost but i have plans up my sleeve. And they are 180

degrees from what my parents brainwashed me with as a child.

mr. b- your father is a fine man.

mom- and we love chana.

mm- thanks. i love her too. But i don't 'like' what i was taught. I believe we each

have our own karma. And if you keep on trying to impose your will on your children

you're going to end up lonely.

henry- the boy is right, i'm afraid. There is no more room for extremists.

Dovid- (thoughtfully) I mean, being religious, it worked for us for a while. It kept

us together. The rituals, the holidays. But i just feel it less and less.

mr. b- that's because your lazy, son. (pause) You aren't TRYING hard enough.

Dovid- it just doesn't make sense to me anymore. But i still love it. I love the food,

the music.

Mr. B- but life isn't all about music! Music should be a by product, not the main

attraction! Unless you're going to be a cantor, it's just wrong wrong wrong. To build

your life around art, it's meaningless.

Bethy- this from the man who practically stalked bob dylan.

Mr. B- i was a foolish child. it was a phase.

mm- maybe you're going through a phase right now, the 'religious' phase.

irene- that's enough! i'm not going to have you attacking my son. not in his house.

mr b- i can stick up for myself mom.

cut to: psychologist's office. mm is sitting on a couch.

mm: she drives me nuts. But i love her. Do i love her, or does she drive me nuts?

And why does she drive me nuts? Why does she listen to her stupid father? i stopped

listening to mine! it's not that hard! Just because your born to a certain set of

parents you have to obey them? She lives with me now, but you'd think she's still

living under their roof. Why do i even go over there? i know one thing: next friday

night, we're going over to my uncle's house. Then we're going out.

cut to:

Dovid's band rehearsal. They are in a practice space playing rock and roll. Kate

watches him out of the corner of her eye while he sings.
Cut to:
the joint. The band is playing the same song but to a small crowd. Bethy and mm

are dancing with each other. Henry walks in and sits at the bar.

henry-(pointing up at dovid) that's my grandson.

bartender- i know.

cut to:
psychology office
Bethy; i don't know if family is a blessing or a curse. I mean i love them all. I

give my brother Dovid a lot of credit. He's really branching out. But dad's not

happy about it. I just wish I had that kind of courage........