Denver Synagogue Vandalized(Passion of Christ Blamed)

9News .com (Denver) ^ | 3/6/2004 4:44:35 PM | Paola Farer

[woofie]

DENVER - A Denver synagogue was damaged with graffiti overnight. Swastikas were drawn on the synagogue on south Monaco Parkway.

The graffiti was in the doorway and across a sign. There were also several symbols drawn on the back wall of the building.

A holocaust survivor who saw the graffiti says it was almost too much to take. There was no official response available from the congregation Saturday, although several people who called 9NEWS to report the damage said that they blamed Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of the Christ” for rekindling anti-Semitism.

Members of the congregation will gather Sunday morning to start cleaning off the graffiti.

[woofie]

Actually I believe Denver is notorious for skin head activity....what motivates those folks I have no idea.

[Woahhs]

You don't think its reasonable that they would find this upsetting?

Frankly, no. If there is one thing God's people should have figured out by now, it's that they will be targeted by those who aren't.

But to paraphrase Rabbi Daniel Lapin's book "America's Real War," if American Jews don't stop making irresponsible accusations of anti-semitism against American Christians, they're going to alienate the only friends they've got.

[Cold Heat]

They were at one time, back in the late 90s.

I have not heard anything recent.

I think they became anarchist's.

[Indie]

This stuff has happened on and off all the time everywhere...so now it just "happens" to be the movie's fault? B.ravo S.ierra to that. I am so sick of the made up bs and copouts that the media reports as "fact" when it's pure crap.

[go ahead Indie, tell 'em how you really feel!]

[oyez]

The only thing anti-semantic about Passion is what negative critics put into small minds.

Anyway, who ever did this aren't likely to have been to see a Jesus movie.

[oyez]

What particular thing do you think the members of this synagogue did to bring this on themselves?

Locally, we've seen clergy burn their own churches.

[DestroytheDemocrats]

"There's no way in the world to prove that the movie DID spark the incident."

Right.

"But, I agree that the vandalism is not a joke. I hope they catch who did it, whoever it is."

Right. And these are the right reactions.

[Antoninus]

Why would you think that?

As I said above, 1.) I've heard of other incidents like that which ended up being perpetrated by Jewish teens, and 2.) If you were dealing with adult anti-semites of the skin-head variety, they might have tried to burn the place down.

I saw The Passion of the Christ tonight. There's not the slightest thing anti-Semitic about it and I certainly felt not the least anger toward "the Jews" afterwards.

[Goetz_von_Berlichingen]

"Wonder why they didn't think it was just a run of the mill skinhead?"

Because you can't sue skinheads for inciting violence etc., etc. Well, you can, but you won't get a very big settlement. On the other hand . . .

This from Forbes:

"At the close of its fifth day in theaters, the controversial The Passion of the Christ movie officially grossed $125.2 million, and industry experts anticipate that the international box office sales could hit $650 million by the end of its run."

Foxman and the gang would dearly love to be able to pin something on Gibson. They failed to force him to bowdlerise the script, and they failed to scare people away from the film with the claim that Gibson is a neo-Nazi. They failed to nag the Pope into condemning the film.

So now that Gibson's project has seen the light of day AND has become a major money-maker, how about a class action suit to cash in?

Grounds? How about for inciting hate crimes? $650 million means pretty deep pockets, and the jackals are salivating at the prospect of being able to cash in.

[babygene]

I would say that there is a lot more anti-Christian sentiment out there than anti-Jewish... Funny, you don't here the Christians whining.

Maybe because Jesus said, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake."

As a Catholic, I consider the Jewish people my family, but you guy's have got to develop a little thicker skin.

[per loin]

Colorado huh? That's where the ADL has to pay the couple whom they defamed $12.5 Million. Was this defacing of the synagogue caused by the ADL defaming those people?

[Cold Heat]

The only thing antisemitic about Passion is what negative critics put into small minds

Yes, and don't they realize the harm that they can do?

Why is it that they keep the drums beating?

They cannot hurt Gibson or the films success. They can only incite bad feelings in those who will never understand their fears. Fears that until now, were never attributed to this country or our Christian population.

Fear that was attributed only to a few despicable people.

[DestroytheDemocrats]

"Frankly, no. If there is one thing God's people should have figured out by now, it's that they will be targeted by those who aren't. "

Oh come on. Of course it is upsetting.

[Antoninus]

People just don't like their places of worship trashed. And we certainly agree they should be punished.

Agreed

It is possible that the suspects said to themselves, "Lets trash this place so these people will blame it on the movie." That seems odd.

It would seem odd to me as well ... if those reporting the incident hadn't tried to blame it on the movie right out of the chute. Because of that, it doesn't seem odd to me at all...

[DestroytheDemocrats]

"Grounds? How about for inciting hate crimes? $650 million means pretty deep pockets, and the jackals are salivating at the prospect of being able to cash in."

That's those Jews for you, in it for the money.

[Yaelle]

How can someone who had the mental toughness to survive the Holocaust be so taken a back by the graffiti of a very few juvenile thugs?

Listen. Whoever lived through the Holocaust is old. He was a small child during the Holocaust and saw things he'd rather not remember. It may have started with a few swastikas on his local synagogue. It may have continued by him no longer being able to attend school, or go to the same park. And then the jackboots came in the dead of night and took away his Daddy...

How do I know? These are my father's own memories. If my father were to see that again today, it would break his heart, too, to think even for a second that his grandchildren might have to go through what he and our family did.

[patriciaruth]

I saw The Passion of the Christ tonight. ... I certainly felt not the least anger toward "the Jews" afterwards

My reaction as a Christian was very personal, as I believe Mel Gibson's reason for making the film was. We Christians are so anquished with apologizing for our sins with every stroke of the lash, that we don't really think about everyone in the film being Jewish or Italian....

[tubavil]

Because you can't sue skinheads for inciting violence etc., etc. Well, you can, but you won't get a very big settlement.

The Aryan Nations would disagree 6.3 million times...

[malakhi]

There's not the slightest thing anti-Semitic about it

I'm not surprised that is your perspective. I wouldn't expect you to see the movie the same way a Jew would.

[DestroytheDemocrats]

"I would say that there is a lot more anti-Christian sentiment out there than anti-Jewish

We are keeping score?

... Funny, you don't here the Christians whining."

Would that be because we are better than they are?