3/23/04

Anti-Semitism

From Pinoyexchange:

"And what if, AFTER viewing it, they say it doesn't make them hate Jews any more or less than they already did? (As many have said...)"

As Rabbi Ira Youdovin of the Chicago Board of Rabbis said: "we
must be aware of importance of the suffering of Jesus for Christian theology, and be sensitive to the feelings of those millions of good Christians who will be deeply touched by the film without being at all influenced by its portrayal of Jewish brutality, and accusations of Jewish complicity in the crucifixion. The film is filled with images associated with historic anti-Semitism. But being moved by it does not make one an anti-Semite."

Movies can provoke all kind of reactions (actually, I found The Passion rather boring, myself), and that millions don't go out killing Jews, that's a blessing. But remember the film hasn't reached Europe and the Middle East, where Jews are particularly threatened; remember that the film hasn't been subtitled to languages other than English, and that Matthews' "His blood be on us and our children" might easily be translated to, say, Arabic. We haven't seen the full effects of the picture yet, I'd say.

Be aware, is all I ask. Read my article (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/noelmoviereviews/message/425), be aware that Gibson's primary source isn't the bible but Emmerich, be aware that his religion doesn't recognize the authority of the Vatican, and neither does this movie.

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