Salvador Litvak and Mark Feuerstein Open Up About ‘Guns & Moses’ and Standing Against Hate

Actor Mark Feuerstein and director Salvador Litvak have teamed up for a powerful new thriller, “Guns & Moses.” The film blends action, faith, and a timely message of resilience and community protection in the face of rising antisemitism.

Litvak and Feuerstein spoke with ChurchLeaders and shared what inspired the story and what they hope viewers take away from it.

Litvak, who co-wrote the film with his wife, Nina, said inspiration for the film came after years of study and a tragic shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California, in 2019.

“We do everything together, a real mom-and-pop shop. And we knew that we wanted to make a Jewish movie,” Litvak said. “Thriller is my favorite genre. So we were looking for a great thriller subject and watching a thriller a day for two years, really studying the genre.”

That tragedy gave the couple their spark.

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“There was a shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California, in 2019,” Litvak said. “A young white nationalist…came in, killed a woman, Laura Gilbert Kay…and the gun miraculously jammed.”

“And then I watched in the ensuing days as the rabbi became a national figure,” Litvak continued. “Then I knew we had something there that we could work with and ‘Guns & Moses’ was born.”

Feuerstein, known for “Royal Pains,” was drawn to the script because it offered something rare: a fully realized Jewish character who gets to be the hero.

“As an actor, you often get to play a few of the colors that you have to offer…And when I got this script…you’re always hoping it’s got all of it,” he said. “It’s got a little comedy. It’s got a lot of drama. I get to be an action hero. I get to be a tough, bad-a** Jew. I mean, this was it.”

The connection went beyond the page. “We had lunch in a Sukkah at their house for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot to cement the deal and the rest is history,” Feuerstein said.