Critics of "The Passion" look for anti-Semitism in all the wrong places

WSJ OpinionJournal ^ | 4/5/04 | Aryeh Spero

[GulliverSwift]

Record-breaking multitudes over a span of many weeks have now viewed Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" in every major and far-flung U.S. locale, and not one American synagogue has been torched or Jewish cemetery vandalized by the Christian faithful who have seen the movie. Having been forewarned that in medieval Europe, passion plays and Easter sermons roused the public to immediate pillaging of Jews and their property, Americans should be proud that the warnings by Jewish organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League of anti-Semitic outbreaks did not materialize here.

[aardvark1]

Actually, it was the freedom that American Christianity engendered that gave safe-haven to so many Jews. That's not to play ostrich and hide my head in the sand and say there's no anti-Semitism now nor has there ever been in this country, but to paint with broad brushes as these leftist demigogs do, is to stereotype Christians, exactly the thing that Jews ask Gentiles not to do to them.

Jesus the Jew did have a piece of advice about such things, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

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[wgeorge2001]

"Be it cuddly nativity scenes or public references to God, the ADL is hard to distinguish from the ACLU."

I am a Christian conservative who believes God and his Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. We who read and believe God and his word know that the Lord commands us as Christians to love and support Israel and the commonwealth of it's people and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We know that Jesus is Lord and Savior of them that believe on the crucifixion of Jesus for our sins and of his resurrection on the third day for our common salvation and that God will bless nations that bless Israel.
The Jewish left should look at the facts (historical evevidence past and present) and they would learn that bible believing Christians are their ally and liberals and liberal "feel good Christendom" is their enemy. The left wing fascists of America hate the Jews and are in collaboration against them along with the nations of the world who hate the Jews, the cosmopolitan liberal Jews who would support Arab nations against Israel are the same people who hate the Passion movie and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hitler had many Jewish supporters when he came to power and they along with bible believing Christians were the first that went to the death camps. Not to mention the fact that Hitler himself was a fascist socialist before he rose to power.
The educated Jews should look at the FACTS AND THE HISTORY of the churlish liberals to see who their friends and their enemies are.

[Skooz]

Excellent piece. Thanks for posting it.

[GulliverSwift]

My pleasure.

[Liz]

BTTT

[John Thornton]

Some critics of "The Passion" were motivated by an aggressive secularism. Their fear was that the movie would spark renewed interest in serious Christianity and strengthen the commitment of those already faithful. Their anti-Christianity derives from their loathing of the moral matrix, God-centeredness and sexual limitations proffered by America's unique brand of Evangelical Christianity.

Excellent point. I would change "some critics" to "many" or even "most" critics, however.

[finnigan2]

I think the Rabbi's conclusions are spot on in just about every respect. Having failed to convince western audiences that viewing the movie would turn them into raving anti-semetic temple burners, opponents of Gibson's work are trying a new angle. They claim it will provoke the "Arab Street" into the mass murder of Jews. Witness the story now up on the Drudge Report in which it is claimed that the film is a big hit in the Arab world, complete with interviews with Moslems who depart the movie vowing to take bloodthirsty actions against the Jewish infidels for their unholy actions, yada, yada.

[I still care]

"Concentrated in pockets of America's urban centers, their view of America and Americans derives quite often from movies such as "American Beauty," which espouse a self-enlightenment and "sophistication" built on portraying Americans "out there" as simple-minded folk ruled by prejudices, incapable of discernment and nuance."

The great prejudice that is allowable and encouraged in Hollywood - that to be rural, white, Southern and Christian meant you are stupid, hidebound and easily manipulated.

I saw "Brother, where out thou" this week again - like the movie, love the music, but boy do they hate Southerners and Christians.

[joebuck]

"Aside from the understandable worry that Jews were for the first time being depicted on widely distributed American celluloid as eager for Jesus' death..."

This just isn't true. There have been many examples of the cinema showing the jewish leaders in question as being the ones who demanded Jesus' death. A vivid one is Jesus Christ Superstar. In JCS Ciaphas and Annas are depicted as orchestrating Jesus capture and conviction and as demanding Jesus' crucifiction. In fact, this part of the story is virtually identical in JCS and The Passion. Actually, take away the music and the violence and these two movies tell the same story verbatum. This shouldn't be surprising given that each movie simply gives an honest account of the Gospels. I have noticed that for most of those protesting Mel's move, it isn't the movie they have a problem with, it's the story told by the Gospels.

[thoughtomator]

Psst. The source of the freedom that American Christianity champions? Judaism - and very specifically, the Passover holiday that we begin to observe tonight. It's a two-way partnership, and it's worked out well for both parties.

[NHResident]

Having lived with and among American Jews for over 35 years and having lived in Israel - the Rabbi presents a clear, lucid and factual statement. In any country, in any group - given enough time you will find every stereotype from the worst imaginable to those who want to make you weep with joy as they represent the finest in human behavior.

There are those in any human grouping you can conceive of who will insist on seeing themselves as 'victims'. Defying logic and lacking experience they persist in their search to impute racism, prejudice and abuse and demand special treatment. God love them all.

[17th Miss Regt]

Agree. The American public has been tempted with anti-semitism several times and roundly rejected it each time. Just after WW II, Gerald L. K. Smith attempted to raise anti-semitic feelings and he was excorciated for his beliefs. George Lincoln Rockwell was at best a comic actor who failed in his attempts to create a viable Nazi party. The anti-semitism they preached just did not resonate with the American public. In fact, the only anti-semite who has risen to the corridors of power recently is H. R. Clinton.

[ultima ratio]

There is a dimension to this film most critics miss, including this one. Gibson's traditional Catholicism, which does indeed reject Vatican II, has little to do with the Council's pronouncements regarding the Jews. In fact, the Council did little except repeat the Church's consistent teaching that all mankind was responsible for Christ's death. His rejection of the New Order in the Church has more to do with its reform of the Mass along Protestant lines of worship. He rejects its diminution of emphasis on the Sacrifice on Calvary, its emphasis on the Liturgy as a Paschal Meal, its de-emphasis of the atonement due to our sinfulness, its congregationalist focus, and its use of the vernacular--all in the Protestant fashion. The whole focus on the Crucifixion in the Catholic psyche is meant to correct this distortion of emphasis and place Calvary, rather than the Resurrection, at the center of Church worship. This explains why the shots of the Resurrection are so brief. He is putting it to Catholic churchmen in very high places. This would also account for its lukewarm reception by liberal Catholic prelates for the most part--though conservative bishops praised it warmly. It also accounts for why Jews formed an easy alliance with some Catholic scholars at the outset. There was more going on here than a scholarly debate. It's part of the internal war currently raging within the Catholic Church between Tradition and Modernism.

[Luis Gonzalez]

I watched the movie this past Saturday, went to an early matinee.

I waited this long on purpose, and for the same reason that I had not read any articles on the movie, nor participated in any discussion threads about it here in FR; I wanted to make up my own mind.

Initially, I had decided to go watch it alone, I did not want anyone sitting next to me, and as few people as possible in the theater, but my wife wanted to go see this movie.

I was surprised at that because this is not the sort of movie that she likes to see.

There were less than twenty people scattered throughout the theater when the film began.

It was the single, most powerful thing I've ever seen on screen. I was emotionally drained when I left.

I cried...sobbed actually, and I was not the only person sobbing in the dark room. I'm nearly in tears now writing this.

My wife cried as well, at every exchange between Mary and Jesus, the mother of my children cried.

We talked a little bit about it afterward, she was angry at Pilate for being so indecisive, puzzled by the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, who could have stopped the pain at any moment, chose to fulfill His destiny to the degree that He did.

She commented that she saw nothing that would make her think that the movie blamed the Jews for killing Christ, but that it was clearly evident that Caiaphas and some of the Temple priests feared Jesus and wanted Him dead.

She also noticed that the people of Jerusalem cried as Christ traveled to his crucifixion; obviously good people.

"The movie proves that there are bad people in every race and nationality, the Temple priests who wanted Jesus executed were bad people."

My wife is Jewish.

[Just mythoughts]

Christ was the "Passover lamb" for one and all time.

Now I know that the translators placed that word EASTER in the book of Act one place, however, it should have been "PASSOVER". HOWEVER according to Paul in

ICorinthians 5:7 "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.

For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

v8. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickdness; but with the unleavend bread of sincerity and truth.

I know, this will not sit well with many Christians, however, they might consider what our Heavenly Father and Christ think about this event that gave salvation to any whom would believe, getting called a pagan holiday.

[AMDG&BVMH]

"pagan holiday"

Christians have, however, Christianized that ancient pagan festival; so it is not pagan anymore, is it? Except to those who do not celebrate the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, and limit themselves to the eggs and rabbits. ;)

But the Christians are not celebrating a pagan holiday, no matter what it is called.

[Ancesthntr]

Thanks for posting this excellent article.

I am Jewish. I haven't and probably won't see this movie, at least for quite a while - the origins of another religion are simply not of great significance to me (and no disrespect of any kind is intended by that remark). I was initially concerned that the movie might increase anti-Semitism somewhat, but I held and still hold the same view as the author, that America IS different. The simple fact that the movie has been out for many weeks and has been seen by several tens of millions of people - without incidents of the kind raised by leftists from all religions (or none) - proves this fact.

I am not in the least bit worried that the true anti-Semites in this world will be encouraged by this movie - they are who they are, with or without it. Their twisted philosophy is irrational at its core and in its details, and if it wasn't this movie it would be something else that would set them off - The Protocols, a blood libel, the teachings of Hitler, etc. After all, Arabs were blowing themselves up on Israeli buses and Europeans (native skinheads as well as immigrant Arabs) were vandalizing Jewish cemetaries and synogogues well before Gibson ever mentioned this movie in public, let alone placed it in the public eye.

I would like those who read this thread to know that not all of us are Abe Foxman clones. Not all Jews are reflexively liberal, reflexively anti-religious, reflexively afraid of any display or mention of religion (particularly another) in public, etc. (and, to change topic, we're not all anti-gun clones of Feinstein or Schumer, either). I am very well aware of the fact that this nation's tolerance allowed dozens of people from various branches of my family to immigrate here in the decades before WW2, and to thereby provide them with sanctuary and make it possible for me to exist, just as I am aware that all of those immigrant members of my family and the vast majority of their descendants have contributed greatly to this great nation in many different ways (just like hundreds of millions of their fellow Americans have done so over the centuries). Many other Jews have very similar family histories. Finally, not all Jews are opposed to or frightened by this movie. Some of us actually believe that anything which enhances the motivation of society in general to return to some semblance of a good moral standard (even if differing in some details vs. our standards) is a good thing for EVERYONE.

[Just mythoughts]

"Christians have, however, Christianized that ancient pagan festival; so it is not pagan anymore, is it? Except to those who do not celebrate the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, and limit themselves to the eggs and rabbits. ;)

But the Christians are not celebrating a pagan holiday, no matter what it is called."


HELLO, Christians can Christianized????????

I am sorry Christ set the path and He never made EASTER a part of the Passover. It is what Christ Christianized that counts not "traditions" of man. You think what man does will be acceptable to our Heavenly Father??????

I can't wait to hear "Christians" explain how it was that the "feast" that brings to remembrance to the "death and resurrection" of the Saviour gets tagged with a pagan "sex" orgies goddess's name!

No wonder we have "perverts" claiming there is nothing wrong with same sex marriage!