British Jews Outraged by 'Passion' Epic

Times UK ^

[GulliverSwift]

The first UK screening of Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion Of The Christ provoked a furious response from Britain's Jewish community today.

Representatives of the Jewish faith were invited to see the film in London a month before its nationwide release.

Many left the Odeon in Leicester Square branding it "disgusting," "deplorable," and likely to incite racial hatred.

Depicting the last 12 hours in the life of Christ, Gibson's blood-drenched epic, which is estimated by its distributor to have made $20 million (£10.74m) in its first day in the US yesterday, had already been accused of anti-Semitism.

It shows Jewish high priests demanding Christ's crucifixion, then looking on as he is tortured and put to an agonising death.

Neville Nagler, director general of the Jewish Board of Deputies, said: "It would have been better if this film had never been made. The glorification of violence and bloodshed and the reinforcement of medieval stereotyping of the Jewish people are extremely dangerous.

"At a time when we are trying to develop co-operation and dialogue within our diverse and multi-cultural society, this film overturns the recent teachings of the Church and is completely unhelpful in fostering closer Jewish-Christian relations."

Lord Janner, former president of the Board of Deputies and now vice-president of the World Jewish Congress, said after the screening: "I hated it. The Jews come out of it as a pretty nasty lot and I believe it could cause very great harm in relations with the Jewish community."

Yitzchak Schochet, a leading rabbi, said: "The cinematography was fantastic, the acting was brilliant - but the content was deplorable in the extreme. It is filled with grotesque blood-letting. Much of it is based on hearsay.

"The idea of the priests standing there smiling as Jesus was crucified is fatally flawed. I hope they ban it, or at the very least edit out some of the scenes… No Christian will walk out of this film without bad feeling towards Jews."

Gibson is a conservative Catholic, a member of a breakaway group which does not accept the Vatican II reforms of 1962 which absolved Jews of responsibility for the crucifixion.

One of Israel's two chief rabbis today urged the Pope to reiterate the 1962 decision.

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger said: "The Vatican and the Pope must explain today ... that the Jewish nation, the Jewish people didn't kill Jesus."  Rabbi Metzger said that friends who had seen the film were "deeply shocked by it."

Catholic priests were also among the 800-strong audience at the special premiere, along with members of the media, and their take on the film was markedly different.

Father Mark Hackeson, from Norfolk, said: "I thought it was an excellent and very moving film. I do not believe it is anti-Semitic - Jesus himself was Jewish. Of course it is violent, but the crucifixion was a very violent event.

"The important thing is that the message behind the violence is one of love and forgiveness, not of condemnation."

Joseph Devine, the Bishop of Motherwell, said: "It was stunning. A remarkable achievement."

However not all Christian viewers were impressed: "I've got very mixed feelings about it," said David Lawrence, media officer for the United Reformed Church. "It's very difficult to lose the Monty Python interpretation because the film was so laden with symbolism and the acting was so laboured.

The much-hyped blockbuster drew thousands in early morning screenings in the US yesterday and continued to draw crowds later in the day. It also opened in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Some devout Christians cannot see the film. The Mormon church forbids missionaries from watching television or films and discourages its followers from watching R-rated films, of which The Passion is one.

"I don't think our Lord would want me to see an R-rated film about his son," said 20-year-old Shawn Watts, a Mormon missionary, in Salt Lake City.

One viewer reported died after collapsing during the bloody crucifixion scene. The Witchita Eagle reported that the cause of death for Peggy Law Scott, 57 of Wichita, Kansas, was not immediately known.

The current first-day box office record for a film released outside the summer and Christmas seasons is held by Hannibal which took $19.8m in February 2001.

The biggest takings for a film opening on a Wednesday stand at $34.1 million (£18.3m) for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

[GulliverSwift]

"The idea of the priests standing there smiling as Jesus was crucified is fatally flawed. I hope they ban it, or at the very least edit out some of the scenes… No Christian will walk out of this film without bad feeling towards Jews."

No, seeing the garbage coming out of Hollywood today causes a worse impression than something that happened two thousand years ago.

[TomServo]

It shows Jewish high priests demanding Christ's crucifixion, then looking on as he is tortured and put to an agonising death.

Hey - it happened.

[EEDUDE]

I have had many Jewish friends over the years, and I can't picture any of them being so hypersensitive to this film.

I am beginning to suspect that what we are seeing is less about anti-Semitism and more about an anti-Christian agenda.

I'll bet a lot of those protesting this film aren't even Jewish, but rather people with other agendas.

[joesnuffy]

Funny...never heard much from these guys as ...Muslims were rioting raping looting killing...and blowing up cars, buildings and people...of both Jewish and Goyim populations...
In Englans or Israel...
Mel Gibsons "Movie" seems to rile them more than actual HAMAS'cide bombings of Israeli school children.

[Paul Ross]

No Christian will walk out of this film without bad feeling towards Jews

Bizarre. The left wing Jewish shrillness is escalating.

This particular Christian counts a Jewish carpenter as his Saviour. The Sanhedrin of 2000 years ago is not all "Jews"...nor was the entire Sanhedrin implicated. Nicodemus was shown being kicked out of the midnight Council meeting. And Jesus died for ALL of us, and explicitly asked for his father to forgive them, for they knew not what they did. As his devoted Subject how can I do less?

[Sam Cree]

I haven't seen the movie, nor do I plan to, however I gather that it is a reasonably accurate depiction of scripture.

Speaking as a member of the Jewish community, I wonder if those people who are attacking the movie understand that by doing so, they are also attacking Christianity (assuming, of course, that the movie accurately depicts such). My opinion is that Jewish attackers of the movie ought to consider this, do they really wish to launch what may be perceived as an attack on another religion?

For if they do, what logical defense is there against one of our primary fears, anti Semitism.

I well understand the queasy feeling we may have at seeing Jews depicted so extremely unfavorably during a time of worldwide rising anti Semitism (only a generation after the Holocaust). Yet I think some further analysis is in order before flinging around accusations that may come back and haunt us.

'Course the motivation for criticism of the movie is more than likely just leftism and political correctness, which means it's not reasonable to start with.

[Paul Ross]

Hey - it happened.

I thought the same thing, and the usual extra line of that remark--"get over it" is precisely what anyone who has seen the movie can't. The level of yelling from the atheistic left is because...they have been deeply disquieted at their core assumptions. This movie prevents them from trivializing either Jesus or his sacrifice. And they can't abide people taking it seriously. Witness Andy Rooney jumping up and down calling Christians nuts.

And I agree with another FReeper here, that many of these purported jews are likely actually atheists masquerading behind a pretense of belief. They are in principle, far, far worse than was the Sanhedrin of 2000 years ago. But we must forgive, and pray for them, that they might yet soften.

[dennisw]

Y'all can't blame Abe Foxman for this one.

[vpintheak]

Jesus said that the world will hate and persecute us. He also said he came not to bring peace, but a sword. This is just another example of the world doing what it can to persecute us.

[Unam Sanctam]

I didn't have a single anti-Semitic thought coming out of the film. It is fallen humanity that caused Our Lord to suffer.

[Enterprise]

"No Christian will walk out of this film without bad feeling towards Jews"

Well, I tend to think that most Christians leave the film contemplating how terribly Jesus suffered on behalf of the rest of us. Anger towards the Jews is not on the minds and in the hearts of most Christians after seeing this very powerful movie.

[kenth]

"No Christian will walk out of this film without bad feeling towards Jews"

What they is saying is that ALL Christians are anti-Semitic. They are saying this because of a movie that might make us reflect on what Jesus' went through for us. They do not want us thinking about our relationship with Jesus. The bias brought out in the open because of this film is anti-Christian, not anti-Semitism.

It is blaming others for what they are doing. Calling good, evil and evil, good. Deceit.

[TomServo]

that many of these purported jews are likely actually atheists masquerading behind a pretense of belief.

I agree. I also think some of them are taking a class on permanent "victim-hood" from Professor Tawana Brawley.

[Uncle Miltie]

In other news, Russians Outraged by "Fiddler-On-The-Roof" Epic.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Naah, who woulda thought that from reading the Bible?

Was he supposed to show Chinese?

[BossLady]

What is this Jewish fear about? I keep wondering why some Jews are taking this so personally? It is in the past. I have not read of any drive-by bible wonkings or tagging of synagogues with 'Jesus is Lord' because of this movie.

Christians and Catholics are often portrayed as the bad guys in movies and PBS specials....sometimes they were the bad guys. So we learn, try not to repeat the mistakes and move on.

[anniegetyourgun]

Much of it is based on hearsay, says the rabbi. I wonder how he feels when he hears atheists say that of the Torah....

[Shermy]

"Hey - it happened."

Not the "smiling" bit.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Another good point.

And let us not forget Joseph who placed him in his own tomb. Nor of course the myriad disciples and followers and sympathizers, almost all of whom were Jewish.