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.

[sneakers]

bump

[TheDon]

Does this mean the pogrom is off?

[stars & stripes forever]

What is this Jewish fear about? I keep wondering why some Jews are taking this so personally

The reason behind the Jewish hysteria is because deep within their hearts, they know that Jesus died for them.

[AMDG&BVMH]

"other scripture reference3s that people might not get. Both old and New Testaments"

I bought a small book yest. which explains the reference you mention, and others. It is "A Guide to the Passion: 100 Questions About The Passion of the Christ." It is a quick read. It is from Ascension Press, and well worth the $5 or $6.

[Sam Cree]

"The Jews of today are no more complicit in Christ's death, 2000 years ago, than the British of today are complicit in the American Revolution over 200 years ago."

I think the Jews of 2000 years ago were not culpable either, as I believe one of the points of Christianity is that Christ died to obtain salvation for man.

[GulliverSwift]

Don't forget the evil Brits in "Braveheart."

[SevenDaysInMay]

How Jews forget about their devout "good" muslim neighbors increasing throughout Eurabia who are clearly commanded in their Koran to kill all Jews wherever they can be found.

Haben Sie keine angst, Juden. Nie wieder.

[mewzilla]

Anyone catch the God Squad on Imus this morning? Rabbi Gellman made an interesting point about the anti-Semitism charge. He said that if the movie was anti-Semitic because it showed some Jews participating in Christ's crucifiction, then the Bible must be anti-Semitic. And if the Bible is anti-Semitic, then Chrisitanity is anti-Semitic. That's where the critics' logic is taking them and why Rabbi Gellman doesn't buy it. He saw the movie and said he didn't find it anti-Semitic at all, though he said he respected the feelings of others who felt that way.

[hosepipe]

[ 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. ]

Damn. he must've hated the "Father forgive them for they know not what they do"..part.. Yasser Arafat would hate that part too..

[skeeter]

Boy, I'd love to see just a little of the apparently unbounding energy exhibited by critics of this movie being expended on actually defending modern day Jews in Isreal from those actually trying to exterminate them.

[AMDG&BVMH]

"(the Vatican II reforms of 1962) which absolved Jews of responsibility for the crucifixion"

This is quite an interpretation!! Since Christ died for the sins of all of humanity, if anyone believed this statement, they would be reading Jewish people out of the human race!

What Vatican II clarified was that "neither all Jews indiscriminately at that time, nor Jews today, can be charged with the crimes committed during His Passion."

It does not rule out individual responsibility.

Also, Vatican I (in the 1500s) stated "our crime in this case is greater in us than in the Jews." I don't feel like typing the whole thing, it is in para 597 and 598 of "The Catechism of the Catholic Church."

[RoseyT]

There was a Jewish Rabbi on Scarborough, last night who said that the accusations of antisemitism in the Passion, stem from the apparent lack of Biblical knowledge on the part of those making the accusations.

Several of the Jews on AOL's Passion board call Rabbi Lapin a schmuck. I thought he said some good things.

[mict42]

If you feel that you will be branded something, examine the reasons. Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew. Jews sanctioned the death of Jesus to satisfy a political agenda, not racial. Let's all a spade a spade. Just because I'm white, male from the U.S. doesn't mean that I can be branded a slave merchant of blacks, now, does it?

[hellinahandcart]

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

I was up til two in the morning last night, reading all available comments from Christians who'd seen the movie yesterday. They were remarkable. Nearly all of them talked about their profound sense of PERSONAL responsibility for the death of Christ and awe at the sacrifice He made for us. Not one of them mentioned bad feelings toward Jews.

But I will admit here and now to feeling animosity toward Yitzchak Schochet as an individual. How dare he presume to know what my thoughts and feelings will be after I've seen the movie.

Yehuda, regarding what we talked about yesterday, this is clearly another one of those articles designed to stir the pot...

[Former Proud Canadian]

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

Absolute nonsense.

[scan58]

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

I saw the movie last night. Anyone who was "incited to racial hatred" upon leaving the movie was that way when they walked in.

[xsmommy]

I was up til two in the morning last night, reading all available comments from Christians who'd seen the movie yesterday. They were remarkable. Nearly all of them talked about their profound sense of PERSONAL responsibility for the death of Christ and awe at the sacrifice He made for us. Not one of them mentioned bad feelings toward Jews.

this is PRECISELY what i told my good Jewish friend and coworker as we discussed this today. he sent me something about Abe Foxman, and i sent him the Rabbi Lapin and Michael Medved pieces. we had a good dialogue, but he could not seem to accept my point that this movie is not ABOUT the Jews, any more than it is about the Italians/Romans. it is about the PERSONAL relationship between the Christian viewer and Jesus Christ. IMO.

[Michael81Dus]

"Us"??? Do you´ve a mouse in your pocket? You too have the opportunity to present yourself on your profile page. I assume that you´re Jewish. However, if you have a problem with Jesus Christ or the Christian faith, learn to live with it!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

After 2000 years He is still a rock of offence. A stumbling stone. And STILL strikes fear and loathing in some.

How about a mivie of the death of STEPHEN. Acts 6,7,8.
Who done it?

[the OlLine Rebel]

"Mel Gibson's movie, "The Patriot", cast the British in a cruel and villainous context. I don't remember the Queen or PM Tony Blair being upset."

The bigwigs may not have said anything, but there was ALOT of squawking about the Patriot, too - inlcuding by lots of Brits and their media. (See my posts referring to this, elsewhere.)

Likewise, "Patriot" is no more guilty of "villainous portrayal" than I'm sure "Passion" is. The prime antagonist, "Tavington", was a real nasty beast, for sure, but he wasn't the only Brit on there. There were Cornwallis and the colonel (killed by Mel, unfortunately), and even the Loyalist (upon misgivings) are hardly hateful, fanatical, maniacal characters.