In other words, Mr Foxman wishes Sabbath peace to others, but has no intention of keeping the Sabbath himself.
That kind of stinking hypocrisy does far more to create anti-Semitism than anything Mel Gibson could do.
Mr. Mel Gibson
Icon Productions, Inc
808 Wilshire Blvd., 4th Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Dear Mr. Gibson:
Since our initial letter to you on March 24, 2003 we have tried to reach out to you as you prepare your movie, "The Passion of the Christ." We had hoped that recognized scholars could help maintain the historical integrity of your script, while at the same time avoid images and words that could be used to foment hatred against Jews.
We firmly believe that diplomacy by press-release is no diplomacy at all. We would like to sit with you to discuss our fears concerning the unintended consequences that might be unleashed when your film is presented to the public. We understand that many faithful Christians will come away from viewing your film with the thought that Jesus died for all people's sins; but history has borne out the fact that many come away using the Passion as the very basis of hatred toward the Jews.
We have seen your film - and we wish we could have viewed it at your invitation - and we also recognize that it is still a "work-in-progress." What we have seen, we have seen through Jewish eyes and we know that we will view the picture differently than many of the faithful Christian community. But how will it be viewed by others? Could the images of your film be used by those who are disposed toward hatred to harden their hearts? There will be unintended consequences that we would like to discuss with you.
It is our hope that you might consider a movie postscript with you coming on screen at the end to implore your viewers to not let the movie turn some toward a passion of hatred.
We know that you have taken a great spiritual responsibility on your shoulders to present the Passion as you see it in your heart. We can only hope that your Passion will move all people in a positive way and we again hope that we can be your partners in this critical enterprise.
Sincerely,
Abraham H. Foxman
National Director
cc: Alan Nierob, Rogers & Cowan
Friday, January 30, 2004
Dear Mr. Foxman,
Please allow me to begin by thanking you for your latest missive, which as always, is expressed in the most lucid and eloquent of terms.
You are right in mentioning that “diplomacy by press-release is no diplomacy at all” and it is my sincerest of regrets that events conspired for us to just miss each other when we both recently happened to be in Orlando.
You are a man of integrity and a man of faith and I do not take your concerns lightly. It is my deepest belief, as I am sure it is yours, that all who ever breathe life on this Earth are children of God and my most binding obligation to them, as a brother in this waking world, is to love them.
I hope and I pray that you will join me in setting an example for all of our brethren; that the truest path to follow, the only path, is that of respect and, most importantly, that of love for each other despite our differences.
Yours with the kindest of regards,
Mel Gibson
(Translation: Your diplomacy line was slick, self-seving, of course, but slick. Listen up Muchacho, it's my movie, my dream, my vision, my Passion. Your deep-seeded paranoia, while perhaps understandable, is nonetheless a matter between you and yours, not me.
Oh, and by the way, here's your post script: next time, come back when you can't stay so long.
And since you're so fond of post-scripts here's another one: thanks for the villification by obfuscation, you know, implying that I was an anti-semite without having the balls to actually come out and say so.
Perhaps it was a vision of piggy-back litigation that gave you pause. No matter, you lost this one, and sustained a greasing in the process.
Oh, and one last thing, I promise: please give my regards to Cardinal Egan, and do tell him the recommendation from the pulpit of the great St. Patrick's Cathedral to 'see the movie' was much appreciated.)
Mr. Mel Gibson
Icon Productions, Inc.
808 Wilshire Blvd., 4th Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Dear Mr. Gibson:
Thank you for your kind words. We welcome your expression of faith and are encouraged that you take our concerns seriously. We agree that respect is a good starting point toward dialogue and mutual understanding.
Unfortunately, your letter does not address any of the issues we raised in our most recent correspondence, and the concerns that we have been raising all along since we first reached out to you in March 2003.
Your words do not mitigate our concerns about the potential consequences of your film, "The Passion of the Christ" to fuel and legitimize anti-Semitism. Nor do they address the questions we raised in our letter and in our public statements following the screening of your film in Orlando. How will the film be viewed by others? Could the images of your film be used by those who are disposed toward hatred to harden their hearts? And you do not address our hope that as a responsible filmmaker you might take steps - such as adding a postscript - to ensure that your audience does not walk away from the film convinced that Jews bear responsibility in the Crucifixion.
So far you have not responded to our request of 11 months for us to meet. We look forward to having the opportunity to meet with you to further discuss our concerns. Sincerely,
Abraham H. Foxman
National Director
cc: Alan Nierob, Rogers & Cowan