Free Republic

BERLIN (EJP)--- A tragedy was avoided on Sunday after a smoke bomb, thrown through a window of a Jewish kindergarten in Berlin, failed to ignite. However, the school, located in a northwest neighbourhood of the German capital, was not spared by the spray painting of swastikas, other Nazi symbols and anti-Semitic phrases, such as “Auschwitz,” “Juden Raus” (Jews, get out) and “Sieg Heil”, on its outer walls, as well as on toys that had been lying around in the school’s playground. A police spokesman said the attack did not cause serious damage or endanger children or staff at the school....

The Iranian Majlis or Parliament has reportedly passed (now disputed) a law requiring that, “Jews would have to sew a yellow strip of cloth on the front of their clothes, while Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would be forced to wear blue cloth.” An outraged Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Weisenthal Institute immediately responded to the provisions for Jews: “This is reminiscent of the Holocaust…Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis.” Such a comparison sprang to the minds of many. But Rabbi Hier’s statement and this general view ignore the immediate context—most...

CAIRO, Egypt - Hanan Nsour, a veiled, 21-year-old Muslim in Jordan, came out of "The Passion of the Christ" in tears and pronounced her verdict: Mel Gibson (news)'s crucifixion epic "unmasked the Jews' lies and I hope that everybody, everywhere, turns against the Jews." The Quran, though, says Jesus's crucifixion never happened. Such are the contradictions that are welling up as the Arab world deals with "The Passion," even as the film draws large audiences in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and other Arab countries that have approved it for screening. In the Arab world, openly voiced anti-Semitism — and by extension...

ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome Date: 2003-05-30 Controversy Swirls Around Mel Gibson's 'Passion' Denver Archbishop Weighs In on Film About Christ DENVER, Colorado, MAY 30, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Though Mel Gibson's latest film "The Passion" isn't scheduled to appear in theaters for another eight months, it is already arousing heated debate. This week Archbishop Charles Chaput devoted his column in the Denver Catholic Register to defending Gibson's movie from those who charge that a cinematic portrayal of Christ's passion and death could stir up flames of anti-Semitism. "I find it puzzling and disturbing that anyone would feel licensed to...

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators burst onto the Barbican Center stage and interrupted the singer's performance with calls of 'Palestine, Palestine.' Four pro-Palestinian demonstrators burst onto the stage of London's Barbican Center Monday night and interrupted Israeli singer Ahinoam Nini's performance with calls of "Palestine, Palestine." Nini, better known to her fans around the world as Noa, broke into tears and at first refused to continue singing. One of the demonstrators grabbed Nini's microphone as another tried to unfurl a banner calling for a ban of Israeli performers. "This is not a terrorist attack," one of the men declared. "We are here...