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The pogrom problem
Weblog has seen far too many articles about whether Mel Gibson's The Passion is anti-Semitic, but comments appearing in today's Washington Times go way beyond reason. About two dozen Jewish demonstrators and New York lawmakers yesterday protested the film outside Fox News Corp. They hadn't seen the film, of course. Just a seven-minute clip, which the protesters say is anti-Semitic itself because it shows a Jewish mob calling for Jesus' crucifixion.

"It will result in anti-Semitism and bigotry," Assemblyman Dov Hikind promised. "It really takes us back to the Dark Ages … the Inquisition, the Crusades, all for the so-called sin of the Crucifixion of Jesus."

The Jewish demonstrators carried signs that said, "The Passion is a lethal weapon against Jews"—a slogan they also chanted.

Malka Moskowitz, who says she's a Holocaust survivor, suggested that the film will lead to genocide. With her voice breaking, she told the Times, "This is the way it started."

William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League, was present to offer reporters and others an alternative view. "How anybody could watch this movie and come out with hatred toward Jews, that person belongs in Bellevue Hospital," he said.

But a rabbi from Brooklyn claimed that by making such a comment, Donohue himself "would be responsible if violence broke out."

Let's put aside the fact that it was completely pointless to protest outside Fox News Corp., since that company has absolutely no connection to The Passion apart from having first rights to distribution (which the company says it has refused). These comments are utterly off the wall. First, they say that Gibson's film itself is a form of violence against Jews. By extension, that would mean that every church in America that does a Holy Week play on the life of Christ is engaged in an annual pogrom. Has any film on the life of Christ, in any place around the world, ever, led to such violence? There have been dozens upon dozens of Jesus movies, most of which were far less careful in their efforts not to suggest all Jews are responsible for the crucifixion. The Jesus film is the most widely seen film in history, and there has never been a recorded case of it promoting anti-Jewish violence. In another case, a new movie shows the entirety of the Gospel of John, word for word, which means that narrated references to "the Jews" will abound. So far, Weblog has heard not a peep of concern (as it should be).

Let's be clear: The film does not depict Jesus' death (which Christians see as a good thing) as a kind of Christ vs. "the Jews" battle. The only people who are tying the film to anti-Semitism—the only people who are suggesting that "the Jews" were responsible for killing Jesus—are these Jewish protesters. If they'd just be quiet, any debate over the film would center on its biblical faithfulness, its historicity, and on Christian theological issues. But by making Jews vs. Jesus the center of the film, Passion critics may in fact be encouraging anti-Jewish feelings.

Newspapers need to read the news
Regular Weblog readers may notice that there are no more links to The Times of London, which used to be a staple of this feature not too long ago. That's because The Times has closed off access to its site except for paying subscribers. But via the BBC today, Weblog came across this link: "Death of a sacrificial lamb: An autistic boy was suffocated during a faith-healing service in Milwaukee, but the minister will not be charged with his death."

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August (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47