Is the Jewish community overreacting to The Passion, Mel Gibson's graphic portrayal of the Crucifixion of Jesus and Jewish culpability for that act even before the film's release during Easter 2004? Or are Christian friends ranging from liberal Catholics long-involved in ecumenical dialogue to conservative Evangelicals, known for their unwavering solidarity with Israel being disconcertingly sanguine? At stake is freedom of artistic and religious expression, dogma, profound misgivings about Gibson's motives, and fear of stoking the embers of Jew-hatred. There is no Christianity without the Crucifixion, and there is no Crucifixion narrative without the Jews. The Romans may have executed...