LA Rabbi Asks Mel Gibson to Reconsider Jesus Film

Reuters ^ | 3-7-03 | Anon

[Pharmboy]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A prominent Jewish leader on Friday asked actor Mel Gibson (news) to make certain that his new film on the last 12 hours in the life of Christ does not portray the Jews as collectively responsible for the crucifixion.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said he was concerned because an article to be published in the New York Times Magazine portrays Gibson as a traditionalist Catholic opposed to the reforms of Vatican (news - web sites) II.

Heir said, "Obviously, no one has seen 'The Passion' and I certainly have no problem with Mel Gibson's right to believe as he sees fit or make any movie he wants to. What concerns me, however is when I read that the film's purpose is to undo the changes made by Vatican II."

He said that Vatican conclave was convened to deal with several critical issues, including the rejection of the notion that the Jews were collectively responsible for the death of Jesus.

"If the new film seeks to undo Vatican II ... it would unleash more of the scurrilous charges of deicide directed against the Jewish people, which took the Catholic Church 20 centuries to finally repudiate," he said.

Gibson is completing the self-financed film on the last 12 hours in the life of Christ and a friend of the Gibson family is quoted as telling the Times that Gibson will graphically portray the intense suffering of Christ, "perhaps as no film has done before." Gibson is directing the film.

The friend, Gary Giuffre, a traditionalist Catholic, also said that the film will lay the blame for the death of Christ where it belongs -- a reference that some traditionalists believe means the Jewish authorities who presided over his trial, the article said.

A spokesman for Gibson had no comment, saying he had not seen the article. Sources close to the actor said Gibson's religious views and those of his family were known.

Discussing his film in a recent TV interview, Gibson was asked whether his account might particularly upset Jews. He said, "It may. It's not meant to. I think it's meant to just tell the truth."

[Pharmboy]

If Rabbi Hier has spoken out against some of the anti-Catholic movies that have been made at times by Jews (Miramax for instance, Priest, Chocolat) then ok. But I do not remember him or any other Rabbis standing up for the Catholics (and I'm a Jew).

I beleive Gibson when he says he just wants to tell the story.

[TheAngryClam]

I find it funny that he fixates on the least probable reason for any Catholic's opposition to Vatican II, and one that is certainly not Mel Gibson's.

Most traditionalists upset at Vatican II are so because it marked the destruction of much of the tradition and beauty of the Church, and was, in fact, a quick road to the protestantization of the Mass. This is where Gibson's problems lie.

Seems like a rabbi just needed a headline, and possibly some donations.

[cyborg]

Jesus was a jew, his twelve disciples were Jews, his enemies were Jews.. so what is the issue? Up till about Acts 15, it was all in the Jewish family. What is this rabbi trying to say? And why when a Jesus movie tries to portray Jesus in a more realistic historical light, the rabbis come out of the woodwork? Was anyone protesting Last Temptation of Christ? Nah.

A good Jewish historian to read Alfred Edersheim, actually one more, Josephus. This is such a non-issue. Mel Gibson apparently as a conservative makes enemies everywhere he goes.

[TheAngryClam]

More on Mel Gibson's Catholicism.

[Pharmboy]

Both of you make excellent points. Thanks for your comments.

I will also check out the link the p*ssed off mollusk has provided.

[mvpel]

I think the concern is that when people get riled up about the Jews, we tend to get beaten up and killed, as demonstrated over the centuries. We already have a million frothing fundamentalist Muslims wanting to avenge themselves on us, we don't need a bunch of cranky Christians added to that list.

But I agree, the rabbi should have kept his mouth shut at least until the movie was released.

[Gophack]

I don't know my history well, but it seems to me that Jesus died for our SALVATION, regardless of whether it was the Jews sending him to be crucified or not. Jesus would never have been crucified if it weren't for Adam and Eve's fall, and humanity's subsequent love-affair with sin.

And 11 of the apostles turned their back on Jesus during the Passion, I believe John was the only apostle there at the cruxificion.

We are all responsible for Jesus' death. His saving and selfless act ransomed us from our sins so that we might have eternal life in the glory of our Lord.

Frankly, the Jews conviction of Jesus was incidential. Besides, Jesus WAS a Jew; Mary, the Blessed Virgin, WAS a Jew. And John, and so-on.

Leave it to the media to twist Gibson's film to make it sound anti-semitic, and then have the Jewish community get up in arms about it, frankly for no good reason.

[denydenydeny]

As usual, liberal Jews leap at the chance to find antisemitism anywhere else than among Muslims.

[ApesForEvolution]

Barrabas!!

[cyborg]

No doubt... that's true. I hardly believe that this film will incite christians to kill Jews. Mabye some creatin with chromosome damage spawned from the bones of Father Coughlin will say some words. It won't affect militant muslims. They need no encouragement. Perhaps they need to make a instructional film about the sin of love triangles and trying to help God out instead. If Abraham waited on God, instead of knocking up his servant girl then dumping her, we wouldn't have this eternal hatred between Jews and Muslims.

[Pharmboy]

I think he was Jewish too, right?

[carlo3b]

Here is more about it!

[Iwentsouth]

So the Romans did not kill jews?

[Deb]

Somebody might want to ask the good rabbi how Americans of German descent feel about the never-ending cavalcade of holocaust movies that Hollywood churns out year after year.

Nobody goes to see them. They make no money. And they win every award the industry offers.

I can't remember a year when a holocaust feature movie, TV network/cable special, mini-series, or documentary wasn't produced, shown and nominated for every award there was. I think last year there was something like three different movies for TV about Anne Frank.

The last movie about Jesus was the hideous Scorsese film. Gibson has a right to tell his story without the usual left-wing harassment.

[Iwentsouth]

I mean before Jesus died and there could be a Catholic Church.

[Savage Beast]

Even IF "the Jewish authorities who presided over his trial" were to "blame for the death of Christ", those "authorities" and only "those authorities" were responsible. Certainly no one in the 21st century could believe that a group could bear the collective responsibility--and certainly not a group of people born 2,000 years later...! What am I missing???

[Texas_Jarhead]

IMO the Simon Wiesenthal Center has lost credibility

[ApesForEvolution]

Oh yeah. He wasn't the Son of God however.

[nunya bidness]

Can't help but laugh about the Seinfeld episode where he made out during Schindler's List and then lied about knowing about the story to his family.

Skip the Oscars and watch John Waters host the Spirit Awards. He's gay, I'm told.