The picture had trouble getting distributed. The movie was considered too specialist, mainly of interest to a niche market of only audiences of Jewish ethnicity, and without any mass or general appeal. In the end, the filmmakers decided to distribute the movie themselves.
This low-budget film cost only US $400,000 to make but grossed around US $5 million in the USA alone.
Hester Street is a real life place in Manhattan in New York City. It is situated in Manhattan's Lower East Side. As depicted in this film, Hester Street has traditionally been a center of Jewish Ashkenazi culture amongst Jewish immigrants to New York.
The majority of the cast worked with a dialogue coach in order to deliver the Yiddish dialect effectively and competently.
Breakthrough and first major film role of actress Carol Kane. The film garnered Kane her only ever Academy Award nomination for acting, for the Best Actress Oscar. Kane did not win, losing to Louise Fletcher for Vol au-dessus d'un nid de coucou (1975).