Guest guest Posted August 19, 2003 Report Share Posted August 19, 2003 Gorgeous photos ... - Al Larus Tuesday, August 19, 2003 10:24 PM Alan/join "Love itself is the actual form of God."Sri RamanaIn "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma Your use of is subject to the Attachment: [not stored] Attachment: [not stored] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2003 Report Share Posted August 19, 2003 - Sam Tuesday, August 19, 2003 5:30 PM Re: Gorgeous photos ... Yes, they are Al, and you have the most amazing butterflies in Norway, is it? I really liked that blue one from last week. I was wondering if you had any butterflies over there :-) Then all of a sudden you started posting them. So glad to see that you do and that they are posing so nicely for you... Love, Joyce ps....Hello, Sam and welcome to the satsangh. Nice to see you over here :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 - Lady Joyce Wednesday, August 20, 2003 4:34 AM Re: - Sam Tuesday, August 19, 2003 5:30 PM Re: Gorgeous photos ... Yes, they are Al, and you have the most amazing butterflies in Norway, is it? I really liked that blue one from last week. I was wondering if you had any butterflies over there :-) Then all of a sudden you started posting them. So glad to see that you do and that they are posing so nicely for you... Love, Joyce ps....Hello, Sam and welcome to the satsangh. Nice to see you over here :-) Thanks Joyce.. Happy to be here.. A butterfly for you...from Luxembourg.. /join "Love itself is the actual form of God."Sri RamanaIn "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma Your use of is subject to the Attachment: [not stored] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 ps....Hello, Sam and welcome to the satsangh. Nice to see you over here :-) Thanks Joyce.. Happy to be here.. A butterfly for you...from Luxembourg.. ************************************************************************************ Thanks Sam, for you and for your butterfly. I always enjoy your photos on NDS. You have a good eye for composition and beauty. I guess it takes One to know One. Love, Joyce Attachment: (image/gif) butfly.gif [not stored] Attachment: (image/gif) butfly.gif [not stored] Attachment: (image/gif) butfly.gif [not stored] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2004 Report Share Posted March 1, 2004 Dear Michael Bindel, Why are you so sure that "...a terrible conflict in this 'world'..." is going to happen as a result of this movie? Warmest regards, michael --- Michael Bindel <michaelbindel wrote: > Dear friends in Sangha > > for your information I posted this articles about > Gibsons "The passion" > because I am sure this work (which is surely > professionaly good done) will > be a root of still another terrible conflict in this > "world" so full of > unsolved...... > > hugs > > michael bindel > Print Version - The Passion: A Historical Perspective ..ArticleText{ FONT-SIZE: 16px; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, helvetica}.teasertext{ FONT-WEIGHT: 800; FONT-SIZE: 16px; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, helvetica}.10px{ FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, helvetica}.urltext{ FONT-SIZE: 12px; COLOR: 003399; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, helvetica;}.articletitle{ FONT-WEIGHT: 800; FONT-SIZE: 24px; COLOR: 003399; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, helvetica;}.author{ FONT-SIZE: 16px; COLOR: 003399; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, helvetica;} http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/The_Passion_A_Historical_Perspective.\ asp The Passion: A Historical Perspective by Rabbi Ken Spiro Mel Gibson#39;s film fits comfortably within the history of Christian anti-Semitism. Mel Gibson's film, "The Passion of Christ," has already stirred a lot of passions and heated debate. What's all the fuss about? After all, isn't it just a movie and we all know the ending already? Clearly there are much bigger issues at stake. By examining the implications of the story of the Passion, we can begin to understand why so many are justifiably apprehensive about the impact this movie might have. THE ROOTS OF CHRISTIAN ANTI-SEMITISM The Passion remains the central event of Christianity and the role of the Jews in this story serves as the foundation of the early Christian view of Judaism and the Jews. Here is a brief overview of the Jewish role in the Passion story as portrayed in the Gospel. The corrupt priesthood, feeling threatened by Jesus' popularity, conspire against him and have him arrested by the Romans. A Jewish mob further conspires to keep him imprisoned and ensure his torture and crucifixion. As he is led to his death, he is further abused by a Jewish mob. The Jewish role in the story is overwhelmingly negative and culminates in the ultimate crime: deicide -- the murder of God. The Gospel is uniformly hostile toward the Jews, while making the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, almost completely guiltless. After being "forced" by the Jewish mob to sentence Jesus to death, Pilate symbolically washes his hands and pronounces: "I am not responsible for the death of this man! This is your doing. The whole crowd [the Jews] answered back: Let his blood be on our heads and the heads of our children." (Matthew 27:24-25) Paul, the most important personality in the history of the church, makes a special point of blaming the Jews for the death of Jesus: "[the Jews] killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us. How displeasing they are to God! How hostile they are to all men. They even tried to stop us from preaching to the Gentiles...This is the last full measure of the sins they have always committed. And now God's wrath has at last fallen upon them." (Thessalonians 1,2) Probably the most damning of all accusations appears in John 8:44: "You are the children of your father, the Devil, and you want to follow your father's desires. From the very beginning he was a murderer." The negative role that the Jew plays in the Passion served to create a solid foundation on which later Christian anti-Semitism would be built. THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHRISTIAN ANTI-SEMITISM While latent hostility toward the Jews simmered for centuries, intense persecution and serious anti-Semitic violence started to take shape after the year 1000 -- at the end of the first millennium. It seems that people get nervous about big dates, especially Christians whose Book of Revelations predicts that at the end of a thousand years Satan will be released from prison and then he's going to wreak havoc on the world. The approaching millennium led to a religious revival in the Christian world which historians call the "New Piety." The New Piety focused especially on the historicity of Jesus, which meant focusing on his death and of course the Jews' role in that conspiracy. So at this time, we see the notion of Jews as "Christ-killers" -- which first surfaced in the 4th century -- gaining tremendous popularity. But that alone does not explain the vehemence of Christian persecutions. To fully understand the issue, we have to look at other, more complex reasons. REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY To start off, the continued existence of the Jews was an irritant to many Christians. And this is why: Christian theology accepts the Hebrew Bible. It does not quarrel with the statements therein that the Jews were a special people chosen by God to receive the Torah and bring holiness into the world. But Christian theology says that the Jews failed in their mission. This is why God sent His "son" (Jesus) to straighten things out, but the Jews refused to recognize him as "god" and worse, conspired to have him killed. As a result, God abandoned the Jews and replaced them with the "new chosen people" -- the Christians. (Hence, the Christian segment of the Bible is called the "New Testament" which is Greek for "New Covenant.") By this line of reasoning however, there would no longer be any purpose for Jews in the world. They should disappear, like did so many mightier nations. But by the first millennium -- already 1,000 years after the death of Jesus -- the Jews were still all over the place. Christian theology had to come up with some sort of answer to this problem, and it did. The Jews must have been doomed to wander the earth by God as a "witness people" -- teste veritatis in Latin. The purpose of a "witness people" is to survive throughout history to bear witness at the end of days, when Jesus appears again for the so-called "Second Coming." But the explanations of Christian theology could not remove the sore spot that the presence -- at times, strong and prosperous presence -- that the Jews represented. At the heart of the matter was the Christian view of Judaism as a direct competitor for the soul of humanity. The hostility that the Christians felt toward the Jews can be seen readily from the writings of the early fathers of the Christian Church. (See: What Did They Think of the Jews? by Allan Gould, pp. 24-25.) >From John Chrysostom, the Patriarch of Constantinople, we get this: "Jews are the most worthless of men- - they are lecherous, greedy, rapacious - they are perfidious murderers of Christians, they worship the devil, their religion is a sickness ... The Jews are the odious assassins of Christ and for killing god there is no expiation, no indulgence, no pardon. Christians may never cease vengeance. The Jews must live in servitude forever. It is incumbent on all Christians to hate the Jews." >From Gregory of Nyssa, we get more of the same: "Slayers of the lord, murderers of the prophets, adversaries of god, haters of god, men who show contempt for the law, foes of grace, enemies of the father's faith, advocates of the devil, brood of vipers, slanderers, scoffers, men whose minds are in darkness, leaven of the Pharisees, assembly of demons, sinners, wicked men, stoners and haters of righteousness." In some places, such calumny exploded in a wave of massive anti-Jewish violence and the murder of thousands of Jews in Europe and the Middle East during the first Crusade from 1096-1099. (Some 10,000 Jews of an estimated population of about 20,000-30,000 were murdered in 1096 as the first Crusade got under way.) In other places, such calumny bred other forms of persecution. BLOOD LIBEL It is next to impossible to explain the accusations that were hurled at the Jews during this time. Jews were persecuted not only for being "Christ-killers" but as "baby-killers." The first such accusation -- better known as a "blood libel" -- was leveled in 1144 in Norwich, England. There, Jews were charged with kidnapping a Christian baby and draining the baby of blood. The charge became so popular it would sweep, in various forms, through Europe and then spread to other parts of the world. Why did Jews need blood according to Christian opinion? What do you think is the correct answer?: a. Jews suffered from hemorrhoids as a punishment for killing Jesus and drinking blood was the best cure for hemorrhoids at the time. b. All Jewish men menstruate and need a monthly blood transfusion. c. Jewish men, when they're circumcised, lose so much blood because of that surgical procedure that they need to drink Christian babies' blood. d. It's the chief ingredient in matzah, and therefore prior to every Passover Jews would be requiring a large supply. e. All of the above. The correct answer is (e) -- all of the above. This is a very important lesson in anti-Semitism. You can say anything about the Jews and people will believe it. It's ironic that Jews, who are prohibited by Jewish law of consuming any blood whatsoever (kosher meat is carefully washed and salted to remove all traces of blood), were precisely the people accused of drinking blood. The blood libel makes even less sense when you consider that in the 13th century the Church adopted the doctrine of transubstantiation. This is a mystical idea which maintains that when the priest says mass over the wafer and wine, these objects mystically change into the body and blood of Jesus. Christians who consume the wafer and drink the wine are said to be mystically eating the flesh of Jesus and drinking his blood. It's ironic that the Christian world, while engaged in the ritual of "drinking the blood of Jesus" would accuse the Jews -- who are forbidden to drink blood -- of this totally fabricated hideous crime. But then the accusations got even wilder. Starting in Switzerland and Germany in the 13th century, Jews were accused of kidnapping communion wafers from churches -- to torture it. Medieval documents tell stories describing how a Jew (usually called Abraham) would steal a wafer from a church, stick a knife in it, and blood would start pouring out. He would then cut it up into pieces and send it to different Jews who would continue to torture it. This would be funny if not for a fact that thousands of Jews were slaughtered as a result of such stories. For example, the entire Jewish community of Berlitz, near Berlin in Germany, was all burned alive based on the accusation of torturing a wafer. Other accusations were to follow: well poisoning, causing the Black Death and numerous other heinous acts, usually accomplished with the help of Satan. These accusations led to the dehumanization, brutalization, expulsion and murder of Jews throughout Europe. It is important to note that in Medieval Europe Passion Plays, reenacting the final drama of the life of Jesus, would be regularly performed in the weeks leading up to Easter. These plays would usually inflame the audience and were often followed by accusations of Jewish ritual murder and violence against Jews. (Gibson has also timed the release of his movie to correspond with the beginning of Lent and the period leading up to Easter Sunday.) The ultimate consequence of the deeply superstitious, irrational and violent anti-Semitism of Europe was the Holocaust. Hitler could not have carried out the Final Solution without the cooperation of the many Germans, nor without the collusion of much of Europe. Centuries of largely Church-sponsored Jew hatred had transformed Europe into a fertile ground for the mass murder of the Jews. Possibly the scariest modern development is that the Arab world has now picked up on the worst, Medieval libels against the Jews. Accusations of blood libels, poisoning, and murder circulate daily throughout the Palestinian Authority's print and electronic media. In 2003 Syrian television aired a series based on the famous forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which contained staged scenes portraying Jewish ritual murder. MAKING AMENDS Although it was usually too little too late, throughout history there were church officials and even a few popes who spoke out against anti-Semitism. The most significant turning point in the Church's relationship with the Jews happened in October 1965 with the publication of Vatican II-Declaration of the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religious. Vatican II states: "True, authorities of the Jews and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ (cf jn.19:6), still, what happened in His passion cannot be blamed upon all the Jews then living, without distinction, nor upon the Jews of today. Although the Church is the new people of God, the Jews should not be presented as repudiated or cursed by God as if such views followed from the Holy Scriptures." (Alexis P. Rubin, Editor, Scattered Among the Nations-Documents Affecting Jewish Hisitory 49-1975. Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson, 1995. P.302). Vatican II clearly represents a great leap forward in the Church's attempt to make amends for millennia of Christian hostility toward the Jews. The current pope, John Paul, has gone further than any other pope in history in his attempts to make amends and heal Catholic-Jewish relations. And there is no doubt that the Church has a far more positive and tolerant attitude toward the Jews. Gibson's graphic, modern Passion Play could well represent a huge step backward in the relationship between Jews and Christians, possibly undoing decades of progress. RE-IGNITING THE HATRED Despite the good intentions expressed in Vatican II that "...the Jews should not be presented as repudiated or cursed by God as if such views followed from the holy Scriptures," the fact of the matter is that anyone looking objectively at the Christian Bible will see that it is loaded with anti-Jewish sentiment. Any attempt, therefore, to accurately portray the Passion story on film is likely to stir up anti-Jewish sentiment and help to re-ignite the age-old hatred that has caused so much Jewish suffering. The timing for the release of The Passion is particularly poor, given the current rise in anti-Semitism world-wide, especially in Europe. See also: Mel Gibson and the Jews. FURTHER READINGS: Carroll, James, Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews - A History, Houghton Mifflin, 2002 Lewis, Bernard, Semites and Anti-Semites-An Inquiry into Conflict and Prejudice. New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 1999 Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospel. vNew York: Vintage Books,1989. Prager, Dennis and Telushkin Joseph, Why The Jews-The Reason for Antisemitism. New York, Simon & Schuster, 1983 Trachtenberg, Joshua, The Devil and the Jews-Medieval Conceptions of the Jew and its relation to Modern Antisemitism. New York, Meridian Books, 1961 Rubin, Alexis P., Scattered Among the Nations-Documents Affecting Jewish History 49-1975. Northvale, New Jersey, jason Aronson Inc., 1995 Wistrich, Robert S., Anti-Semitism-The Longest Hatred. London, Thames Methuen, 1991. Note: I have received a lot of feedback from Christian readers regarding the topic of Medieval anti-Semitism. Most of the comments come from evangelical Christians who claim that those who persecuted Jews in the Middle Ages were not really true Christians and that I shouldn't lump all Chritians together. Readers of this series should understand that this is a history series and as such, it reflects the historical realities of the past. One thousand years ago in Western Europe, there were no evangelicals. The Catholic Church reigned supreme. Superstitious, violent anti-Semitism was rampant and there were no Christian supporters of the Jewish people. Today, thank God, the situation is very different. There are tens of millions of Christians who are good friends of the Jewish people and true supporters of Israel. In no way is the series meant to reflect the modern realities of Jewish-Chrisitan interaction, nor is it meant as an attack against Israel's true friends and allies. My sincere apologies if it was understood to be otherwise. Sincerely, Rabbi Ken Spiro Author Biography: For $180, you can sponsor one issue of Ken Spiro’s Crash Course in Jewish History in honor or memory of a loved one or to celebrate a special occasion (Click here). Rabbi Ken Spiro is originally from New Rochelle,NY. He graduated from Vasser College with a BAin Russian Language and Literature and didgraduate studies at the Pushkin Institute inMoscow. He has Rabbinical ordination fromYeshiva Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem and a Masters Degree in History from The Vermont College of Norwich University. Rabbi Spiro is also a licensed tour guide by the Israel Ministry of Tourism. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and five children where he works as a senior lecturer and researcher on Aish HaTorah outreach programs. ORDER KEN SPIRO#39S BOOK "WORLDPERFECT: THE JEWISH IMPACT ON CIVILIZATION" What it would take to constitute a perfect world? Ken Spiro questioned more than 1,500 people of various backgrounds, revealing six core elements: respect for human life; peace and harmony; justice and equality; education; family; and, social responsibility. A highly readable and well-documented book about the origins of values and virtues in Western civilization as influenced by the Greeks, Romans, Christians, Muslims and, most significantly, the Jews. "This is a book that everyone in the world should read" Kirk Douglas-Actor and author Click here to order WorldPerfect This article can also be read at:http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/The_Passion_A_Historical_Perspecti\ ve.asp Copyright © 1995 - 2004 Aish.com - http://www.aish.com var DMdomain = "";var DMpage = window.location;var DMVersion = 86;var DMsendTo = "//collector.deepmetrix.com/dm.gif?";var DMsession;function dmerr(){return true;}window.onerror=dmerr;var u3k8u6y1j3 = new Date();if (navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mac') >= 0 & u3k8u6y1j3.getTimezoneOffset() >= 720){u3k8u6y1j3.setTime (u3k8u6y1j3.getTime() - 1440*60*1000);}var u3k8u6y1 = location.protocol+DMsendTo+"v="+DMVersion+"&vst=1";var u3k8u6 = document.cookie.toString();if(u3k8u6.indexOf("_dmid") == -1){DMsession = parseInt( Math.random()*1000000 ) + "_" + u3k8u6y1j3.getTime();var u3k8 = "";if(DMdomain != ""){u3k8 = "domain="+ DMdomain +";";}document.cookie = "_dmid=" + DMsession + ";expires=Mon, 31-Dec-2008 00:00:00 GMT;"+u3k8+"path=/;";}u3k8u6 = document.cookie.toString();if(u3k8u6.indexOf('_dmid') == -1){DMsession = "";}else{if(u3k8u6.indexOf(';') == -1){u3k8u6 = u3k8u6.replace(/_dm/g, ';_dm');}var u3 = u3k8u6.indexOf("_dmid=") + 6;var g5b1z7i5z6 = u3k8u6.indexOf(";",u3);if (g5b1z7i5z6 == -1){g5b1z7i5z6 = u3k8u6.length;}DMsession = unescape(u3k8u6.substring(u3,g5b1z7i5z6));}u3k8u6y1 += "&id="+DMsession+"&url="+escape(DMpage) + "&ref="+escape(document.referrer)+"&lng=" + ((!document.all || navigator.userAgent.match('Opera')) ? navigator.language : navigator.userLanguage) + "&tz=" + (Math.round(new Date('dec 1, 2002').getTimezoneOffset()/60)*-1);if(screen){u3k8u6y1 += "&scr=" + escape( screen.width + "x" + screen.height + + screen.colorDepth + "bpp" );}u3k8u6y1 += "&rnd=" + new Date().getTime();if(document.layers){document.write("");}else{document.write("")\ ;}function handle(){return true;}window.onerror=handle;var fc_host = 'www.aish.com';var fc_tag = '';var fc_ssltag = '';if (location.protocol=='http:'){document.write(fc_tag);}else {document.write(fc_ssltag);}function fcce(){if (typeof(fcnf)!="undefined") fcnf();}if (null==window.onload){window.onload=fcce;}else{var fcfn=window.onload;window.onload=function(){fcfn();fcce();}}> Print Version - Mel Gibson and the > Jewshttp://www.aish.com/societyWork/society/Mel_Gibson_and_the_Jews.asp > > > Mel Gibson and the Jews > by Rabbi Benjamin Blech > His latest lethal weapon? Mel's film promises > spiritual inspiration but instead > evokes the kind of rage that for centuries past > resulted in ruthless acts of > retribution. > Soon we'll find out who is more powerful, Mel Gibson > or Pope John XXIII. > Shortly before his death in 1963, the spiritual > leader of Catholics round the > world composed this prayer: "We realize that our > brows are branded with the mark > of Cain. Centuries long has Abel lain in blood and > tears because we have > forgotten Thy love. Forgive us the curse which we > unjustly laid on the name of > the Jews. Forgive us, that with our curse, we > crucified Thee a second time." > It was an awesome admission that reversed almost > 2000 years of unjustifiable > hatred. Christian anti-Semitism, rationalized as > fitting punishment for the Jews > guilty of the heinous crime of deicide, killers of > Christ, was officially > declared "a great sin against humanity." Jews dared > to hope that the distortions > of ancient history which prompted Crusades, pogroms > and perhaps -- as many > scholars suggest -- even the world's silence during > the Holocaust, were finally > put to rest in the dustbin of grievously outdated > theological errors. > How strange then to now have the 21st century > witness the re-birth of a > monumental lie. What the Pope declared a sin, Mel > Gibson has resurrected as the > definitive story of the death of Jesus. Once again > the world is told that it was > the fault of "the perfidious Jews." In a movie that > reeks with gruesome violence > unbearable even by Hollywood standards, "The Passion > of the Christ" weaves the > contradictory threads of the Gospels' accounts > describing the last hours of the > life of Jesus into a tale that portrays a reluctant > Pontius Pilate decreeing > crucifixion for "the son of God" at the mad urging > of a Jewish mob led by > Caiaphas, the High Priest. > No, according to Gibson it wasn't the guilt of the > Romans. Pontius Pilate, as > the movie sees it, would never have carried out such > cruel punishment. Mike > Evans, a Dallas minister and head of the pro-Israel > Jerusalem Prayer Team, > suggested to Gibson that he might add a one-sentence > message on the screen after > the last scene: "During the Roman occupation, > 250,000 Jews were crucified by the > Romans, but only one rose from the dead." That would > make clear to the average > viewer that Jews, just like Jesus, were victims of > the same vicious regime. But > so far, that message does not appear. It would > detract from the theme that runs > throughout the film. > Rejecting the views of the Second Vatican Council, > Gibson holds firm to his > literal interpretation of the Gospels that make Jews > the villains of the most > horrendous crime of history: Jews "killed God." In > one version of the movie, the > Jews utter the line that almost begs for retaliation > against them to this day: > "His blood be upon us and our children!" Whether > this scene survives the final > cut is still unknown. (It is in fact included in the > version shown to Newsweek's > reviewer.) But Gibson is confident that whatever he > decides will be the will of > God. As he's publicly stated, "The Holy Ghost was > working through me on this > film." And surely not even the healing words of Pope > John XXIII can override a > harmful conflicting message to Gibson directly from > the Almighty Himself! > Keep in mind, this is from the man who admitted to > saying about New York Times > columnist Frank Rich, who was critical about his > film, "I wanted to kill him. I > want his intestines on a stick. I want to kill his > dog." > Most remarkable of all, to my mind, in the storm of > controversy surrounding this > film, is that it ought to be even more of a > Christian issue than it is a Jewish > problem. After all, it is the latter-day Church > itself, through its spiritual > leadership, that addressed this ancient question of > Jewish culpability. The > former Pope was courageous enough to acknowledge the > Church's regrettable role > in blaming the blameless. The present Pope, John > Paul II, affirmed this > confession as he "recognized Christian > responsibility for past wrongs against > Jews throughout history" and, using the Hebrew word > tshuvah, "repentance," asked > for forgiveness. > "The Passion of the Christ" suggests that Hollywood > is wiser than His Holiness. > It offers a discredited version of history that is > far more fitting for "13th > Century Fox" than a contemporary studio aware of the > theology of papal > leadership. > Those who've seen the movie (Full disclosure: I > haven't yet -- but I've spoken > to several people who did, both Jews and non-Jews, > Rabbis and priests. I do plan > on seeing the film once it comes out and will write > a follow up article.) agree > that the Romans fare much better than the Jews in > their treatment of Jesus. As > J. W. Eagan famously said, "Never judge a book by > its movie." This is a film > that makes the Gospels seem almost tame in their > depiction of Jewish evil. Which > is why it's so irrelevant to ask the question, "Is > Mel Gibson really > anti-Semitic?" > Those who wonder whether Gibson hates Jews simply > don't get it. It doesn't > matter. Take Gibson at his word, if you want to, and > accept his profession of > friendship. He may like us. But that isn't the > issue. What matters is what the > film is going to accomplish. Simply put, I am told > it is almost impossible to > walk out of the theater without hating the villains > -- and the villains are > clearly identified as Jews. > In a time when religions most need to teach the > message of reconciliation, a > film promising spiritual inspiration powerfully > evokes the kind of rage that for > centuries past resulted in ruthless acts of > retribution. > Passion plays have a history. Jews knew that > performances were almost invariably > followed by pogroms. What can we expect after > millions of people see this film? > Some Christian leaders are offended by the very > notion that this may have any > relevance today. William Donahue, president of the > Catholic League for Civil and > Religious Rights, attacks those who express fear of > "the unintended > consequences" of the movie's critical portrayal of > the Jews as "pernicious." So > if Jews suspect that history may be a guide to > modern times, if not by way of > old-fashioned pogrom but in more sophisticated > contemporary guise, we're guilty > of over-reacting and, worse, of even suggesting that > anti-Semitism can again get > out of hand. > Make no mistake. Movies create mindsets far more > than any other medium. Ingmar > Bergman was right. "No art passes our conscience in > the way film does, and goes > directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark > rooms of our souls." To sit in > a darkened theater and be enveloped by a > larger-than-life screen is to feel that > you are actually experiencing an event rather than > just hearing about it. The > Reverend Billy Graham, it's reported, wept bitterly > when he watched "The Passion > of the Christ" -- and surely it wasn't the first > time he heard the story. > No passion play of the past could ever have had the > emotional power of actually > being present at the Crucifixion -- with the added > impact of special effects > that have made some viewers scream out in revulsion. > > Responding to criticism, Gibson denies his intent is > to blame the Jews. "It's > not singling them out and saying, 'They did it'. > That's not so. We're all > culpable. We're all guilty. We all killed Jesus." > Let me make clear to Mel Gibson that for myself, I > deny any personal > involvement. I didn't kill Jesus. Neither did my > ancestors. Ironic, isn't it, > that the same Gibson who willingly accepts universal > guilt for the crime of > deicide chooses only the Jews to be singled out as > the real perpetrators. "We > all killed Jesus," he claims -- but it's just Jews > whom the movie clearly > depicts as the scoundrels. > Do Jews have a right to share their concerns with > those who choose to believe in > a different version of history? Can Jews object to > an ultraconservative Roman > Catholic Hollywood icon producing a movie that > reflects his personal bias? > The same freedom of speech that guarantees Gibson > the right to make his film as > he sees fit allows us to point out what we find so > objectionable. > Gibson speaks in the name of Christianity even as he > rejects the explicit > pronouncements of its highest spiritual spokesmen. > Gibson claims he is guided by a desire to promote > "love and forgiveness," while > he stresses a stereotype of Jews that for millennia > led to hate and retribution. > > Gibson publicizes his film as the "historically > accurate story" of the last > hours of Jesus when its depiction rests far more on > faith than on facts and > includes scenes -- like the one showing Jewish > guards brutally beating Jesus as > they take him to the High Priest -- that have no > basis in any New Testament > source. (Some of Gibson's script is inspired by the > visions of two nuns: one in > 17th century Spain and the other in 18th century > France.) > While the Church has made major strides forward in > reaching out to Jews in > reconciliation, "The Passion of Christ" takes a > giant leap backwards to vicious > Jew-bashing and stereotyping. As Holocaust memories > fade and scholars note the > resurgence of worldwide anti-Semitism, the one thing > worse than the "Protocols > of the Elders of Zion" in our times is a > mass-marketed appeal to religious > passion against Jews in the guise of the Gospels. > Regrettably, its very notoriety may well make this > movie highly popular. That's > why I pray viewers understand the reason "The > Passion of Christ" so strongly > fails as a spiritual message. Not only is it > anti-Jewish and indifferent to the > harm it will surely bring in its wake to relations > between gentiles and Jews, it > is so profoundly un-Christian. > First of a two-part series. Rabbi Blech's second > installment will discuss his > reactions to seeing the film. > See also: The Passion: A Historical Perspective > Author Biography: > Rabbi Benjamin Blech is the author of seven highly > acclaimed books, including > Understanding Judaism: The basics of Deed and Creed. > He is a professor of Talmud > at Yeshiva University and the Rabbi Emeritus of > Young Israel of Oceanside which > he served for 37 years and from which he retired to > pursue his interests in > writing and lecturing around the globe. He is also > the author of "If God is > Good, Why is the World So Bad?" > > > To buy The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History > and Culture, go to > amazon.com > > > > This article can also be read at: > http://www.aish.com/societyWork/society/Mel_Gibson_and_the_Jews.asp > > > 1995 - 2004 Aish.com - > http://www.aish.com > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2004 Report Share Posted March 3, 2004 Dear Michael Bowes as I do not want to disturb our list let me know your private email address to answer your question. Thank you for your reply - "Michael Bowes" <rmichaelbowes <> Monday, March 01, 2004 1:32 PM Re: > Dear Michael Bindel, > > Why are you so sure that "...a terrible conflict in > this 'world'..." is going to happen as a result of > this movie? > > Warmest regards, > > michael > > --- Michael Bindel <michaelbindel wrote: > > Dear friends in Sangha > > > > for your information I posted this articles about > > Gibsons "The passion" > > because I am sure this work (which is surely > > professionaly good done) will > > be a root of still another terrible conflict in this > > "world" so full of > > unsolved...... > > > > hugs > > > > michael bindel > > > > Print Version - The Passion: A Historical Perspective > .ArticleText{ FONT-SIZE: 16px; COLOR: black; > FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, helvetica}.teasertext{ > FONT-WEIGHT: 800; FONT-SIZE: 16px; COLOR: black; > FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, helvetica}.10px{ > FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, > helvetica}.urltext{ FONT-SIZE: 12px; COLOR: > 003399; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, > helvetica;}.articletitle{ FONT-WEIGHT: 800; > FONT-SIZE: 24px; COLOR: 003399; FONT-FAMILY: > Arial, Verdana, helvetica;}.author{ FONT-SIZE: > 16px; COLOR: 003399; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, > Verdana, helvetica;} > http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/The_Passion_A_Historical_Perspective.\ asp > The Passion: A Historical Perspective > by Rabbi Ken Spiro > Mel Gibson#39;s film fits comfortably within the > history of Christian anti-Semitism. > > Mel Gibson's film, "The Passion of Christ," has > already stirred a lot of passions and heated debate. > What's all the fuss about? After all, isn't it just a > movie and we all know the ending already? Clearly > there are much bigger issues at stake. By examining > the implications of the story of the Passion, we can > begin to understand why so many are justifiably > apprehensive about the impact this movie might have. > > THE ROOTS OF CHRISTIAN ANTI-SEMITISM > > The Passion remains the central event of Christianity > and the role of the Jews in this story serves as the > foundation of the early Christian view of Judaism and > the Jews. > > Here is a brief overview of the Jewish role in the > Passion story as portrayed in the Gospel. The corrupt > priesthood, feeling threatened by Jesus' popularity, > conspire against him and have him arrested by the > Romans. A Jewish mob further conspires to keep him > imprisoned and ensure his torture and crucifixion. As > he is led to his death, he is further abused by a > Jewish mob. > > The Jewish role in the story is overwhelmingly > negative and culminates in the ultimate crime: deicide > -- the murder of God. The Gospel is uniformly hostile > toward the Jews, while making the Roman procurator, > Pontius Pilate, almost completely guiltless. After > being "forced" by the Jewish mob to sentence Jesus to > death, Pilate symbolically washes his hands and > pronounces: "I am not responsible for the death of > this man! This is your doing. The whole crowd [the > Jews] answered back: Let his blood be on our heads > and the heads of our children." (Matthew 27:24-25) > > Paul, the most important personality in the history of > the church, makes a special point of blaming the Jews > for the death of Jesus: "[the Jews] killed the Lord > Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us. How > displeasing they are to God! How hostile they are to > all men. They even tried to stop us from preaching to > the Gentiles...This is the last full measure of the > sins they have always committed. And now God's wrath > has at last fallen upon them." (Thessalonians 1,2) > > Probably the most damning of all accusations appears > in John 8:44: "You are the children of your father, > the Devil, and you want to follow your father's > desires. From the very beginning he was a murderer." > > The negative role that the Jew plays in the Passion > served to create a solid foundation on which later > Christian anti-Semitism would be built. > > THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHRISTIAN ANTI-SEMITISM > > While latent hostility toward the Jews simmered for > centuries, intense persecution and serious > anti-Semitic violence started to take shape after the > year 1000 -- at the end of the first millennium. It > seems that people get nervous about big dates, > especially Christians whose Book of Revelations > predicts that at the end of a thousand years Satan > will be released from prison and then he's going to > wreak havoc on the world. > > The approaching millennium led to a religious revival > in the Christian world which historians call the "New > Piety." The New Piety focused especially on the > historicity of Jesus, which meant focusing on his > death and of course the Jews' role in that conspiracy. > So at this time, we see the notion of Jews as > "Christ-killers" -- which first surfaced in the 4th > century -- gaining tremendous popularity. But that > alone does not explain the vehemence of Christian > persecutions. To fully understand the issue, we have > to look at other, more complex reasons. > > REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY > > To start off, the continued existence of the Jews was > an irritant to many Christians. And this is why: > > Christian theology accepts the Hebrew Bible. It does > not quarrel with the statements therein that the Jews > were a special people chosen by God to receive the > Torah and bring holiness into the world. But Christian > theology says that the Jews failed in their mission. > This is why God sent His "son" (Jesus) to straighten > things out, but the Jews refused to recognize him as > "god" and worse, conspired to have him killed. As a > result, God abandoned the Jews and replaced them with > the "new chosen people" -- the Christians. (Hence, the > Christian segment of the Bible is called the "New > Testament" which is Greek for "New Covenant.") > > By this line of reasoning however, there would no > longer be any purpose for Jews in the world. They > should disappear, like did so many mightier nations. > But by the first millennium -- already 1,000 years > after the death of Jesus -- the Jews were still all > over the place. Christian theology had to come up with > some sort of answer to this problem, and it did. The > Jews must have been doomed to wander the earth by God > as a "witness people" -- teste veritatis in Latin. The > purpose of a "witness people" is to survive throughout > history to bear witness at the end of days, when Jesus > appears again for the so-called "Second Coming." > > But the explanations of Christian theology could not > remove the sore spot that the presence -- at times, > strong and prosperous presence -- that the Jews > represented. At the heart of the matter was the > Christian view of Judaism as a direct competitor for > the soul of humanity. > > The hostility that the Christians felt toward the Jews > can be seen readily from the writings of the early > fathers of the Christian Church. (See: What Did They > Think of the Jews? by Allan Gould, pp. 24-25.) > > From John Chrysostom, the Patriarch of Constantinople, > we get this: > > "Jews are the most worthless of men- - they are > lecherous, greedy, rapacious - they are perfidious > murderers of Christians, they worship the devil, their > religion is a sickness ... The Jews are the odious > assassins of Christ and for killing god there is no > expiation, no indulgence, no pardon. Christians may > never cease vengeance. The Jews must live in servitude > forever. It is incumbent on all Christians to hate the > Jews." > > From Gregory of Nyssa, we get more of the same: > > "Slayers of the lord, murderers of the prophets, > adversaries of god, haters of god, men who show > contempt for the law, foes of grace, enemies of the > father's faith, advocates of the devil, brood of > vipers, slanderers, scoffers, men whose minds are in > darkness, leaven of the Pharisees, assembly of demons, > sinners, wicked men, stoners and haters of > righteousness." > > In some places, such calumny exploded in a wave of > massive anti-Jewish violence and the murder of > thousands of Jews in Europe and the Middle East during > the first Crusade from 1096-1099. (Some 10,000 Jews of > an estimated population of about 20,000-30,000 were > murdered in 1096 as the first Crusade got under way.) > > In other places, such calumny bred other forms of > persecution. > > BLOOD LIBEL > > It is next to impossible to explain the accusations > that were hurled at the Jews during this time. Jews > were persecuted not only for being "Christ-killers" > but as "baby-killers." > > The first such accusation -- better known as a "blood > libel" -- was leveled in 1144 in Norwich, England. > There, Jews were charged with kidnapping a Christian > baby and draining the baby of blood. The charge became > so popular it would sweep, in various forms, through > Europe and then spread to other parts of the world. > > Why did Jews need blood according to Christian > opinion? What do you think is the correct answer?: > > a. Jews suffered from hemorrhoids as a punishment for > killing Jesus and drinking blood was the best cure for > hemorrhoids at the time. > b. All Jewish men menstruate and need a monthly blood > transfusion. > c. Jewish men, when they're circumcised, lose so much > blood because of that surgical procedure that they > need to drink Christian babies' blood. > d. It's the chief ingredient in matzah, and therefore > prior to every Passover Jews would be requiring a > large supply. > e. All of the above. > > The correct answer is (e) -- all of the above. This is > a very important lesson in anti-Semitism. You can say > anything about the Jews and people will believe it. > > It's ironic that Jews, who are prohibited by Jewish > law of consuming any blood whatsoever (kosher meat is > carefully washed and salted to remove all traces of > blood), were precisely the people accused of drinking > blood. > > The blood libel makes even less sense when you > consider that in the 13th century the Church adopted > the doctrine of transubstantiation. This is a mystical > idea which maintains that when the priest says mass > over the wafer and wine, these objects mystically > change into the body and blood of Jesus. Christians > who consume the wafer and drink the wine are said to > be mystically eating the flesh of Jesus and drinking > his blood. It's ironic that the Christian world, while > engaged in the ritual of "drinking the blood of Jesus" > would accuse the Jews -- who are forbidden to drink > blood -- of this totally fabricated hideous crime. But > then the accusations got even wilder. > > Starting in Switzerland and Germany in the 13th > century, Jews were accused of kidnapping communion > wafers from churches -- to torture it. Medieval > documents tell stories describing how a Jew (usually > called Abraham) would steal a wafer from a church, > stick a knife in it, and blood would start pouring > out. He would then cut it up into pieces and send it > to different Jews who would continue to torture it. > > This would be funny if not for a fact that thousands > of Jews were slaughtered as a result of such stories. > For example, the entire Jewish community of Berlitz, > near Berlin in Germany, was all burned alive based on > the accusation of torturing a wafer. > > Other accusations were to follow: well poisoning, > causing the Black Death and numerous other heinous > acts, usually accomplished with the help of Satan. > These accusations led to the dehumanization, > brutalization, expulsion and murder of Jews throughout > Europe. > > It is important to note that in Medieval Europe > Passion Plays, reenacting the final drama of the life > of Jesus, would be regularly performed in the weeks > leading up to Easter. These plays would usually > inflame the audience and were often followed by > accusations of Jewish ritual murder and violence > against Jews. (Gibson has also timed the release of > his movie to correspond with the beginning of Lent and > the period leading up to Easter Sunday.) > > The ultimate consequence of the deeply superstitious, > irrational and violent anti-Semitism of Europe was the > Holocaust. Hitler could not have carried out the > Final Solution without the cooperation of the many > Germans, nor without the collusion of much of Europe. > Centuries of largely Church-sponsored Jew hatred had > transformed Europe into a fertile ground for the mass > murder of the Jews. > > Possibly the scariest modern development is that the > Arab world has now picked up on the worst, Medieval > libels against the Jews. Accusations of blood libels, > poisoning, and murder circulate daily throughout the > Palestinian Authority's print and electronic media. > In 2003 Syrian television aired a series based on the > famous forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, > which contained staged scenes portraying Jewish ritual > murder. > > MAKING AMENDS > > Although it was usually too little too late, > throughout history there were church officials and > even a few popes who spoke out against anti-Semitism. > The most significant turning point in the Church's > relationship with the Jews happened in October 1965 > with the publication of Vatican II-Declaration of the > Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religious. > Vatican II states: "True, authorities of the Jews and > those who followed their lead pressed for the death of > Christ (cf jn.19:6), still, what happened in His > passion cannot be blamed upon all the Jews then > living, without distinction, nor upon the Jews of > today. Although the Church is the new people of God, > the Jews should not be presented as repudiated or > cursed by God as if such views followed from the Holy > Scriptures." (Alexis P. Rubin, Editor, Scattered Among > the Nations-Documents Affecting Jewish Hisitory > 49-1975. Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson, 1995. > P.302). > > Vatican II clearly represents a great leap forward in > the Church's attempt to make amends for millennia of > Christian hostility toward the Jews. The current pope, > John Paul, has gone further than any other pope in > history in his attempts to make amends and heal > Catholic-Jewish relations. And there is no doubt that > the Church has a far more positive and tolerant > attitude toward the Jews. Gibson's graphic, modern > Passion Play could well represent a huge step backward > in the relationship between Jews and Christians, > possibly undoing decades of progress. > > RE-IGNITING THE HATRED > > Despite the good intentions expressed in Vatican II > that "...the Jews should not be presented as > repudiated or cursed by God as if such views followed > from the holy Scriptures," the fact of the matter is > that anyone looking objectively at the Christian Bible > will see that it is loaded with anti-Jewish sentiment. > Any attempt, therefore, to accurately portray the > Passion story on film is likely to stir up anti-Jewish > sentiment and help to re-ignite the age-old hatred > that has caused so much Jewish suffering. The timing > for the release of The Passion is particularly poor, > given the current rise in anti-Semitism world-wide, > especially in Europe. > > See also: Mel Gibson and the Jews. > > FURTHER READINGS: > > Carroll, James, Constantine's Sword: The Church and > the Jews - A History, Houghton Mifflin, 2002 > > Lewis, Bernard, Semites and Anti-Semites-An Inquiry > into Conflict and Prejudice. New York, W.W. Norton > & Company, 1999 > > Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospel. vNew York: > Vintage Books,1989. > > Prager, Dennis and Telushkin Joseph, Why The Jews-The > Reason for Antisemitism. New York, Simon & Schuster, > 1983 > > Trachtenberg, Joshua, The Devil and the Jews-Medieval > Conceptions of the Jew and its relation to Modern > Antisemitism. New York, Meridian Books, 1961 > > Rubin, Alexis P., Scattered Among the > Nations-Documents Affecting Jewish History 49-1975. > Northvale, New Jersey, jason Aronson Inc., 1995 > > Wistrich, Robert S., Anti-Semitism-The Longest > Hatred. London, Thames Methuen, 1991. > > > Note: > I have received a lot of feedback from Christian > readers regarding the topic of Medieval anti-Semitism. > Most of the comments come from evangelical Christians > who claim that those who persecuted Jews in the > Middle Ages were not really true Christians and that I > shouldn't lump all Chritians together. > > Readers of this series should understand that > this is a history series and as such, it reflects the > historical realities of the past. One thousand years > ago in Western Europe, there were no evangelicals. > The Catholic Church reigned supreme. Superstitious, > violent anti-Semitism was rampant and there were no > Christian supporters of the Jewish people. > > Today, thank God, the situation is very > different. There are tens of millions of Christians > who are good friends of the Jewish people and true > supporters of Israel. > > In no way is the series meant to reflect the > modern realities of Jewish-Chrisitan interaction, nor > is it meant as an attack against Israel's true friends > and allies. My sincere apologies if it was understood > to be otherwise. > > Sincerely, > Rabbi Ken Spiro > > Author Biography: > For $180, you can sponsor one issue of Ken > Spiro's Crash Course in Jewish History in honor or > memory of a loved one or to celebrate a special > occasion > (Click here). > > Rabbi Ken Spiro is originally from New Rochelle,NY. He > graduated from Vasser College with a BAin Russian > Language and Literature and didgraduate studies at the > Pushkin Institute inMoscow. He has Rabbinical > ordination fromYeshiva Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem and a > Masters Degree in History from The Vermont College of > Norwich University. Rabbi Spiro is also a licensed > tour guide by the Israel Ministry of Tourism. He lives > in Jerusalem with his wife and five children where he > works as a senior lecturer and researcher on Aish > HaTorah outreach programs. > ORDER KEN SPIRO#39S BOOK > "WORLDPERFECT: THE JEWISH IMPACT ON CIVILIZATION" > > What it would take to constitute a perfect world? Ken > Spiro questioned more than 1,500 people of various > backgrounds, revealing six core elements: respect for > human life; peace and harmony; justice and equality; > education; family; and, social responsibility. A > highly readable and well-documented book about the > origins of values and virtues in Western civilization > as influenced by the Greeks, Romans, Christians, > Muslims and, most significantly, the Jews. > > "This is a book that everyone in the world should > read" > Kirk Douglas-Actor and author > > Click here to order WorldPerfect > > This article can also be read > at:http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/The_Passion_A_Historical_Persp ective.asp > > Copyright © 1995 - 2004 Aish.com - > http://www.aish.com > var DMdomain = "";var DMpage = window.location;var > DMVersion = 86;var DMsendTo = > "//collector.deepmetrix.com/dm.gif?";var > DMsession;function dmerr(){return > true;}window.onerror=dmerr;var u3k8u6y1j3 = new > Date();if (navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mac') >= 0 & > u3k8u6y1j3.getTimezoneOffset() >= > 720){u3k8u6y1j3.setTime (u3k8u6y1j3.getTime() - > 1440*60*1000);}var u3k8u6y1 = > location.protocol+DMsendTo+"v="+DMVersion+"&vst=1";var > u3k8u6 = > document.cookie.toString();if(u3k8u6.indexOf("_dmid") > == -1){DMsession = parseInt( Math.random()*1000000 ) + > "_" + u3k8u6y1j3.getTime();var u3k8 = "";if(DMdomain > != ""){u3k8 = "domain="+ DMdomain > +";";}document.cookie = "_dmid=" + DMsession + > ";expires=Mon, 31-Dec-2008 00:00:00 > GMT;"+u3k8+"path=/;";}u3k8u6 = > document.cookie.toString();if(u3k8u6.indexOf('_dmid') > == -1){DMsession = "";}else{if(u3k8u6.indexOf(';') == > -1){u3k8u6 = u3k8u6.replace(/_dm/g, ';_dm');}var u3 = > u3k8u6.indexOf("_dmid=") + 6;var g5b1z7i5z6 = > u3k8u6.indexOf(";",u3);if (g5b1z7i5z6 == > -1){g5b1z7i5z6 = u3k8u6.length;}DMsession = > unescape(u3k8u6.substring(u3,g5b1z7i5z6));}u3k8u6y1 += > "&id="+DMsession+"&url="+escape(DMpage) + > "&ref="+escape(document.referrer)+"&lng=" + > ((!document.all || navigator.userAgent.match('Opera')) > ? navigator.language : navigator.userLanguage) + > "&tz=" + (Math.round(new Date('dec 1, > 2002').getTimezoneOffset()/60)*-1);if(screen){u3k8u6y1 > += "&scr=" + escape( screen.width + "x" + > screen.height + + screen.colorDepth + "bpp" > );}u3k8u6y1 += "&rnd=" + new > Date().getTime();if(document.layers){document.write("");}else{document.write ("");}function > handle(){return true;}window.onerror=handle;var > fc_host = 'www.aish.com';var fc_tag = '';var fc_ssltag > = '';if > (location.protocol=='http:'){document.write(fc_tag);}else > {document.write(fc_ssltag);}function fcce(){if > (typeof(fcnf)!="undefined") fcnf();}if > (null==window.onload){window.onload=fcce;}else{var > fcfn=window.onload;window.onload=function(){fcfn();fcce();}}> > Print Version - Mel Gibson and the > > > Jewshttp://www.aish.com/societyWork/society/Mel_Gibson_and_the_Jews.asp > > > > > > Mel Gibson and the Jews > > by Rabbi Benjamin Blech > > His latest lethal weapon? Mel's film promises > > spiritual inspiration but instead > > evokes the kind of rage that for centuries past > > resulted in ruthless acts of > > retribution. > > Soon we'll find out who is more powerful, Mel Gibson > > or Pope John XXIII. > > Shortly before his death in 1963, the spiritual > > leader of Catholics round the > > world composed this prayer: "We realize that our > > brows are branded with the mark > > of Cain. Centuries long has Abel lain in blood and > > tears because we have > > forgotten Thy love. Forgive us the curse which we > > unjustly laid on the name of > > the Jews. Forgive us, that with our curse, we > > crucified Thee a second time." > > It was an awesome admission that reversed almost > > 2000 years of unjustifiable > > hatred. Christian anti-Semitism, rationalized as > > fitting punishment for the Jews > > guilty of the heinous crime of deicide, killers of > > Christ, was officially > > declared "a great sin against humanity." Jews dared > > to hope that the distortions > > of ancient history which prompted Crusades, pogroms > > and perhaps -- as many > > scholars suggest -- even the world's silence during > > the Holocaust, were finally > > put to rest in the dustbin of grievously outdated > > theological errors. > > How strange then to now have the 21st century > > witness the re-birth of a > > monumental lie. What the Pope declared a sin, Mel > > Gibson has resurrected as the > > definitive story of the death of Jesus. Once again > > the world is told that it was > > the fault of "the perfidious Jews." In a movie that > > reeks with gruesome violence > > unbearable even by Hollywood standards, "The Passion > > of the Christ" weaves the > > contradictory threads of the Gospels' accounts > > describing the last hours of the > > life of Jesus into a tale that portrays a reluctant > > Pontius Pilate decreeing > > crucifixion for "the son of God" at the mad urging > > of a Jewish mob led by > > Caiaphas, the High Priest. > > No, according to Gibson it wasn't the guilt of the > > Romans. Pontius Pilate, as > > the movie sees it, would never have carried out such > > cruel punishment. Mike > > Evans, a Dallas minister and head of the pro-Israel > > Jerusalem Prayer Team, > > suggested to Gibson that he might add a one-sentence > > message on the screen after > > the last scene: "During the Roman occupation, > > 250,000 Jews were crucified by the > > Romans, but only one rose from the dead." That would > > make clear to the average > > viewer that Jews, just like Jesus, were victims of > > the same vicious regime. But > > so far, that message does not appear. It would > > detract from the theme that runs > > throughout the film. > > Rejecting the views of the Second Vatican Council, > > Gibson holds firm to his > > literal interpretation of the Gospels that make Jews > > the villains of the most > > horrendous crime of history: Jews "killed God." In > > one version of the movie, the > > Jews utter the line that almost begs for retaliation > > against them to this day: > > "His blood be upon us and our children!" Whether > > this scene survives the final > > cut is still unknown. (It is in fact included in the > > version shown to Newsweek's > > reviewer.) But Gibson is confident that whatever he > > decides will be the will of > > God. As he's publicly stated, "The Holy Ghost was > > working through me on this > > film." And surely not even the healing words of Pope > > John XXIII can override a > > harmful conflicting message to Gibson directly from > > the Almighty Himself! > > Keep in mind, this is from the man who admitted to > > saying about New York Times > > columnist Frank Rich, who was critical about his > > film, "I wanted to kill him. I > > want his intestines on a stick. I want to kill his > > dog." > > Most remarkable of all, to my mind, in the storm of > > controversy surrounding this > > film, is that it ought to be even more of a > > Christian issue than it is a Jewish > > problem. After all, it is the latter-day Church > > itself, through its spiritual > > leadership, that addressed this ancient question of > > Jewish culpability. The > > former Pope was courageous enough to acknowledge the > > Church's regrettable role > > in blaming the blameless. The present Pope, John > > Paul II, affirmed this > > confession as he "recognized Christian > > responsibility for past wrongs against > > Jews throughout history" and, using the Hebrew word > > tshuvah, "repentance," asked > > for forgiveness. > > "The Passion of the Christ" suggests that Hollywood > > is wiser than His Holiness. > > It offers a discredited version of history that is > > far more fitting for "13th > > Century Fox" than a contemporary studio aware of the > > theology of papal > > leadership. > > Those who've seen the movie (Full disclosure: I > > haven't yet -- but I've spoken > > to several people who did, both Jews and non-Jews, > > Rabbis and priests. I do plan > > on seeing the film once it comes out and will write > > a follow up article.) agree > > that the Romans fare much better than the Jews in > > their treatment of Jesus. As > > J. W. Eagan famously said, "Never judge a book by > > its movie." This is a film > > that makes the Gospels seem almost tame in their > > depiction of Jewish evil. Which > > is why it's so irrelevant to ask the question, "Is > > Mel Gibson really > > anti-Semitic?" > > Those who wonder whether Gibson hates Jews simply > > don't get it. It doesn't > > matter. Take Gibson at his word, if you want to, and > > accept his profession of > > friendship. He may like us. But that isn't the > > issue. What matters is what the > > film is going to accomplish. Simply put, I am told > > it is almost impossible to > > walk out of the theater without hating the villains > > -- and the villains are > > clearly identified as Jews. > > In a time when religions most need to teach the > > message of reconciliation, a > > film promising spiritual inspiration powerfully > > evokes the kind of rage that for > > centuries past resulted in ruthless acts of > > retribution. > > Passion plays have a history. Jews knew that > > performances were almost invariably > > followed by pogroms. What can we expect after > > millions of people see this film? > > Some Christian leaders are offended by the very > > notion that this may have any > > relevance today. William Donahue, president of the > > Catholic League for Civil and > > Religious Rights, attacks those who express fear of > > "the unintended > > consequences" of the movie's critical portrayal of > > the Jews as "pernicious." So > > if Jews suspect that history may be a guide to > > modern times, if not by way of > > old-fashioned pogrom but in more sophisticated > > contemporary guise, we're guilty > > of over-reacting and, worse, of even suggesting that > > anti-Semitism can again get > > out of hand. > > Make no mistake. Movies create mindsets far more > > than any other medium. Ingmar > > Bergman was right. "No art passes our conscience in > > the way film does, and goes > > directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark > > rooms of our souls." To sit in > > a darkened theater and be enveloped by a > > larger-than-life screen is to feel that > > you are actually experiencing an event rather than > > just hearing about it. The > > Reverend Billy Graham, it's reported, wept bitterly > > when he watched "The Passion > > of the Christ" -- and surely it wasn't the first > > time he heard the story. > > No passion play of the past could ever have had the > > emotional power of actually > > being present at the Crucifixion -- with the added > > impact of special effects > > that have made some viewers scream out in revulsion. > > > > Responding to criticism, Gibson denies his intent is > > to blame the Jews. "It's > > not singling them out and saying, 'They did it'. > > That's not so. We're all > > culpable. We're all guilty. We all killed Jesus." > > Let me make clear to Mel Gibson that for myself, I > > deny any personal > > involvement. I didn't kill Jesus. Neither did my > > ancestors. Ironic, isn't it, > > that the same Gibson who willingly accepts universal > > guilt for the crime of > > deicide chooses only the Jews to be singled out as > > the real perpetrators. "We > > all killed Jesus," he claims -- but it's just Jews > > whom the movie clearly > > depicts as the scoundrels. > > Do Jews have a right to share their concerns with > > those who choose to believe in > > a different version of history? Can Jews object to > > an ultraconservative Roman > > Catholic Hollywood icon producing a movie that > > reflects his personal bias? > > The same freedom of speech that guarantees Gibson > > the right to make his film as > > he sees fit allows us to point out what we find so > > objectionable. > > Gibson speaks in the name of Christianity even as he > > rejects the explicit > > pronouncements of its highest spiritual spokesmen. > > Gibson claims he is guided by a desire to promote > > "love and forgiveness," while > > he stresses a stereotype of Jews that for millennia > > led to hate and retribution. > > > > Gibson publicizes his film as the "historically > > accurate story" of the last > > hours of Jesus when its depiction rests far more on > > faith than on facts and > > includes scenes -- like the one showing Jewish > > guards brutally beating Jesus as > > they take him to the High Priest -- that have no > > basis in any New Testament > > source. (Some of Gibson's script is inspired by the > > visions of two nuns: one in > > 17th century Spain and the other in 18th century > > France.) > > While the Church has made major strides forward in > > reaching out to Jews in > > reconciliation, "The Passion of Christ" takes a > > giant leap backwards to vicious > > Jew-bashing and stereotyping. As Holocaust memories > > fade and scholars note the > > resurgence of worldwide anti-Semitism, the one thing > > worse than the "Protocols > > of the Elders of Zion" in our times is a > > mass-marketed appeal to religious > > passion against Jews in the guise of the Gospels. > > Regrettably, its very notoriety may well make this > > movie highly popular. That's > > why I pray viewers understand the reason "The > > Passion of Christ" so strongly > > fails as a spiritual message. Not only is it > > anti-Jewish and indifferent to the > > harm it will surely bring in its wake to relations > > between gentiles and Jews, it > > is so profoundly un-Christian. > > First of a two-part series. Rabbi Blech's second > > installment will discuss his > > reactions to seeing the film. > > See also: The Passion: A Historical Perspective > > Author Biography: > > Rabbi Benjamin Blech is the author of seven highly > > acclaimed books, including > > Understanding Judaism: The basics of Deed and Creed. > > He is a professor of Talmud > > at Yeshiva University and the Rabbi Emeritus of > > Young Israel of Oceanside which > > he served for 37 years and from which he retired to > > pursue his interests in > > writing and lecturing around the globe. He is also > > the author of "If God is > > Good, Why is the World So Bad?" > > > > > > To buy The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History > > and Culture, go to > > amazon.com > > > > > > > > This article can also be read at: > > > http://www.aish.com/societyWork/society/Mel_Gibson_and_the_Jews.asp > > > > > > 1995 - 2004 Aish.com - > > http://www.aish.com > > > > > > /join > > > > > > "Love itself is the actual form of God." > > Sri Ramana > > In "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma > Links > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2004 Report Share Posted March 3, 2004 Dear Michael Bindel, You may email me at rmichaelbowes Best wishes, michael bowes --- Michael Bindel <michaelbindel wrote: > Dear Michael Bowes > > as I do not want to disturb our list let me know > your private email address > to answer your question. > > Thank you for your reply > > > - > "Michael Bowes" <rmichaelbowes > <> > Monday, March 01, 2004 1:32 PM > Re: > > > > Dear Michael Bindel, > > > > Why are you so sure that "...a terrible conflict > in > > this 'world'..." is going to happen as a result of > > this movie? > > > > Warmest regards, > > > > michael > > > > --- Michael Bindel <michaelbindel > wrote: > > > Dear friends in Sangha > > > > > > for your information I posted this articles > about > > > Gibsons "The passion" > > > because I am sure this work (which is surely > > > professionaly good done) will > > > be a root of still another terrible conflict in > this > > > "world" so full of > > > unsolved...... > > > > > > hugs > > > > > > michael bindel > > > > > > > Print Version - The Passion: A Historical > Perspective > > .ArticleText{ FONT-SIZE: 16px; COLOR: black; > > FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, > helvetica}.teasertext{ > > FONT-WEIGHT: 800; FONT-SIZE: 16px; COLOR: > black; > > FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, helvetica}.10px{ > > FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, > > helvetica}.urltext{ FONT-SIZE: 12px; COLOR: > > 003399; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, > > helvetica;}.articletitle{ FONT-WEIGHT: 800; > > FONT-SIZE: 24px; COLOR: 003399; FONT-FAMILY: > > Arial, Verdana, helvetica;}.author{ FONT-SIZE: > > 16px; COLOR: 003399; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, > > Verdana, helvetica;} > > > http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/The_Passion_A_Historical_Perspective.\ asp > > The Passion: A Historical Perspective > > by Rabbi Ken Spiro > > Mel Gibson#39;s film fits comfortably within the > > history of Christian anti-Semitism. > > > > Mel Gibson's film, "The Passion of Christ," has > > already stirred a lot of passions and heated > debate. > > What's all the fuss about? After all, isn't it > just a > > movie and we all know the ending already? Clearly > > there are much bigger issues at stake. By > examining > > the implications of the story of the Passion, we > can > > begin to understand why so many are justifiably > > apprehensive about the impact this movie might > have. > > > > THE ROOTS OF CHRISTIAN ANTI-SEMITISM > > > > The Passion remains the central event of > Christianity > > and the role of the Jews in this story serves as > the > > foundation of the early Christian view of Judaism > and > > the Jews. > > > > Here is a brief overview of the Jewish role in the > > Passion story as portrayed in the Gospel. The > corrupt > > priesthood, feeling threatened by Jesus' > popularity, > > conspire against him and have him arrested by the > > Romans. A Jewish mob further conspires to keep > him > > imprisoned and ensure his torture and crucifixion. > As > > he is led to his death, he is further abused by a > > Jewish mob. > > > > The Jewish role in the story is overwhelmingly > > negative and culminates in the ultimate crime: > deicide > > -- the murder of God. The Gospel is uniformly > hostile > > toward the Jews, while making the Roman > procurator, > > Pontius Pilate, almost completely guiltless. > After > > being "forced" by the Jewish mob to sentence Jesus > to > > death, Pilate symbolically washes his hands and > > pronounces: "I am not responsible for the death > of > > this man! This is your doing. The whole crowd > [the > > Jews] answered back: Let his blood be on our > heads > > and the heads of our children." (Matthew 27:24-25) > > > > Paul, the most important personality in the > history of > > the church, makes a special point of blaming the > Jews > > for the death of Jesus: "[the Jews] killed the > Lord > > Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us. How > > displeasing they are to God! How hostile they are > to > > all men. They even tried to stop us from preaching > to > > the Gentiles...This is the last full measure of > the > > sins they have always committed. And now God's > wrath > > has at last fallen upon them." (Thessalonians > 1,2) > > > > Probably the most damning of all accusations > appears > > in John 8:44: "You are the children of your > father, > > the Devil, and you want to follow your father's > > desires. From the very beginning he was a > murderer." > > > > The negative role that the Jew plays in the > Passion > > served to create a solid foundation on which later > > Christian anti-Semitism would be built. > > > > THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHRISTIAN ANTI-SEMITISM > > > > While latent hostility toward the Jews simmered > for > > centuries, intense persecution and serious > > anti-Semitic violence started to take shape after > the > > year 1000 -- at the end of the first millennium. > It > > seems that people get nervous about big dates, > > especially Christians whose Book of Revelations > > predicts that at the end of a thousand years Satan > > will be released from prison and then he's going > to > > wreak havoc on the world. > > > > The approaching millennium led to a religious > revival > > in the Christian world which historians call the > "New > > Piety." The New Piety focused especially on the > > historicity of Jesus, which meant focusing on his > > death and of course the Jews' role in that > conspiracy. > > So at this time, we see the notion of Jews as > > "Christ-killers" -- which first surfaced in the > 4th > > century -- gaining tremendous popularity. But > that > > alone does not explain the vehemence of Christian > > persecutions. To fully understand the issue, we > have > > to look at other, more complex reasons. > > > > REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY > > > > To start off, the continued existence of the Jews > was > > an irritant to many Christians. And this is why: > > > > Christian theology accepts the Hebrew Bible. It > does > > not quarrel with the statements therein that the > Jews > > were a special people chosen by God to receive the > > Torah and bring holiness into the world. But > Christian > > theology says that the Jews failed in their > mission. > > This is why God sent His "son" (Jesus) to > straighten > > things out, but the Jews refused to recognize him > as > > "god" and worse, conspired to have him killed. As > a > > result, God abandoned the Jews and replaced them > with > > the "new chosen people" -- the Christians. (Hence, > the > > Christian segment of the Bible is called the "New > > Testament" which is Greek for "New Covenant.") > > > > By this line of reasoning however, there would no > > longer be any purpose for Jews in the world. They > > should disappear, like did so many mightier > nations. > > But by the first millennium -- already 1,000 years > > after the death of Jesus -- the Jews were still > all > > over the place. Christian theology had to come up > with > > some sort of answer to this problem, and it did. > The > > Jews must have been doomed to wander the earth by > God > > as a "witness people" -- teste veritatis in Latin. > The > > purpose of a "witness people" is to survive > throughout > > history to bear witness at the end of days, when > Jesus > > appears again for the so-called "Second Coming." > > > > But the explanations of Christian theology could > not > > remove the sore spot that the presence -- at > times, > > strong and prosperous presence -- that the Jews > > represented. At the heart of the matter was the > > Christian view of Judaism as a direct competitor > for > > the soul of humanity. > > > > The hostility that the Christians felt toward the > Jews > > can be seen readily from the writings of the early > > fathers of the Christian Church. (See: What Did > They > > Think of the Jews? by Allan Gould, pp. 24-25.) > > > > From John Chrysostom, the Patriarch of > Constantinople, > > we get this: > > > > "Jews are the most worthless of men- - they are > > lecherous, greedy, rapacious - they are perfidious > > murderers of Christians, they worship the devil, > their > > religion is a sickness ... The Jews are the odious > > assassins of Christ and for killing god there is > no > > expiation, no indulgence, no pardon. Christians > may > > never cease vengeance. The Jews must live in > servitude > > forever. It is incumbent on all Christians to hate > the > > Jews." > > > > From Gregory of Nyssa, we get more of the same: > > > > "Slayers of the lord, murderers of the prophets, > > adversaries of god, haters of god, men who show > > contempt for the law, foes of grace, enemies of > the > > father's faith, advocates of the devil, brood of > > vipers, slanderers, scoffers, men whose minds are > in > > darkness, leaven of the Pharisees, assembly of > demons, > > sinners, wicked men, stoners and haters of > > righteousness." > > > > In some places, such calumny exploded in a wave of > > massive anti-Jewish violence and the murder of > > thousands of Jews in Europe and the Middle East > during > > the first Crusade from 1096-1099. (Some 10,000 > Jews of > > an estimated population of about 20,000-30,000 > were > > murdered in 1096 as the first Crusade got under > way.) > > > > In other places, such calumny bred other forms of > > persecution. > > > > BLOOD LIBEL > > > > It is next to impossible to explain the > accusations > > that were hurled at the Jews during this time. > Jews > > were persecuted not only for being > "Christ-killers" > > but as "baby-killers." > > > > The first such accusation -- better known as a > "blood > > libel" -- was leveled in 1144 in Norwich, England. > > There, Jews were charged with kidnapping a > Christian > > baby and draining the baby of blood. The charge > became > > so popular it would sweep, in various forms, > through > > Europe and then spread to other parts of the > world. > > > > Why did Jews need blood according to Christian > > opinion? What do you think is the correct > answer?: > > > > a. Jews suffered from hemorrhoids as a punishment > for > > killing Jesus and drinking blood was the best cure > for > > hemorrhoids at the time. > > b. All Jewish men menstruate and need a monthly > blood > > transfusion. > > c. Jewish men, when they're circumcised, lose so > much > > blood because of that surgical procedure that they > > need to drink Christian babies' blood. > > d. It's the chief ingredient in matzah, and > therefore > > prior to every Passover Jews would be requiring a > > large supply. > > e. All of the above. > > > > The correct answer is (e) -- all of the above. > This is > > a very important lesson in anti-Semitism. You can > say > > anything about the Jews and people will believe > it. > > > > It's ironic that Jews, who are prohibited by > Jewish > > law of consuming any blood whatsoever (kosher meat > is > > carefully washed and salted to remove all traces > of > > blood), were precisely the people accused of > drinking > > blood. > > > > The blood libel makes even less sense when you > > consider that in the 13th century the Church > adopted > > the doctrine of transubstantiation. This is a > mystical > > idea which maintains that when the priest says > mass > > over the wafer and wine, these objects mystically > > change into the body and blood of Jesus. > Christians > > who consume the wafer and drink the wine are said > to > > be mystically eating the flesh of Jesus and > drinking > > his blood. It's ironic that the Christian world, > while > > engaged in the ritual of "drinking the blood of > Jesus" > > would accuse the Jews -- who are forbidden to > drink > > blood -- of this totally fabricated hideous crime. > But > > then the accusations got even wilder. > > > > Starting in Switzerland and Germany in the 13th > > century, Jews were accused of kidnapping communion > > wafers from churches -- to torture it. Medieval > > documents tell stories describing how a Jew > (usually > > called Abraham) would steal a wafer from a church, > > stick a knife in it, and blood would start pouring > > out. He would then cut it up into pieces and send > it > > to different Jews who would continue to torture > it. > > > > This would be funny if not for a fact that > thousands > > of Jews were slaughtered as a result of such > stories. > > For example, the entire Jewish community of > Berlitz, > > near Berlin in Germany, was all burned alive based > on > > the accusation of torturing a wafer. > > > > Other accusations were to follow: well poisoning, > > causing the Black Death and numerous other heinous > > acts, usually accomplished with the help of Satan. > > These accusations led to the dehumanization, > > brutalization, expulsion and murder of Jews > throughout > > Europe. > > > > It is important to note that in Medieval Europe > > Passion Plays, reenacting the final drama of the > life > > of Jesus, would be regularly performed in the > weeks > > leading up to Easter. These plays would usually > > inflame the audience and were often followed by > > accusations of Jewish ritual murder and violence > > against Jews. (Gibson has also timed the release > of > > his movie to correspond with the beginning of Lent > and > > the period leading up to Easter Sunday.) > > > > The ultimate consequence of the deeply > superstitious, > > irrational and violent anti-Semitism of Europe was > the > > Holocaust. Hitler could not have carried out the > > Final Solution without the cooperation of the many > > Germans, nor without the collusion of much of > Europe. > > Centuries of largely Church-sponsored Jew hatred > had > > transformed Europe into a fertile ground for the > mass > > murder of the Jews. > > > > Possibly the scariest modern development is that > the > > Arab world has now picked up on the worst, > Medieval > > libels against the Jews. Accusations of blood > libels, > > poisoning, and murder circulate daily throughout > the > > Palestinian Authority's print and electronic > media. > > In 2003 Syrian television aired a series based on > the > > famous forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of > Zion, > > which contained staged scenes portraying Jewish > ritual > > murder. > > > > MAKING AMENDS > > > > Although it was usually too little too late, > > throughout history there were church officials and > > even a few popes who spoke out against > anti-Semitism. > > The most significant turning point in the Church's > > relationship with the Jews happened in October > 1965 > > with the publication of Vatican II-Declaration of > the > > Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religious. > > Vatican II states: "True, authorities of the Jews > and > > those who followed their lead pressed for the > death of > > Christ (cf jn.19:6), still, what happened in His > > passion cannot be blamed upon all the Jews then > > living, without distinction, nor upon the Jews of > > today. Although the Church is the new people of > God, > > the Jews should not be presented as repudiated or > > cursed by God as if such views followed from the > Holy > > Scriptures." (Alexis P. Rubin, Editor, Scattered > Among > > the Nations-Documents Affecting Jewish Hisitory > > 49-1975. Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson, > 1995. > > P.302). > > > > Vatican II clearly represents a great leap forward > in > > the Church's attempt to make amends for millennia > of > > Christian hostility toward the Jews. The current > pope, > > John Paul, has gone further than any other pope in > > history in his attempts to make amends and heal > > Catholic-Jewish relations. And there is no doubt > that > > the Church has a far more positive and tolerant > > attitude toward the Jews. Gibson's graphic, modern > > Passion Play could well represent a huge step > backward > > in the relationship between Jews and Christians, > > possibly undoing decades of progress. > > > > RE-IGNITING THE HATRED > > > > Despite the good intentions expressed in Vatican > II > > that "...the Jews should not be presented as > > repudiated or cursed by God as if such views > followed > > from the holy Scriptures," the fact of the matter > is > > that anyone looking objectively at the Christian > Bible > > will see that it is loaded with anti-Jewish > sentiment. > > Any attempt, therefore, to accurately portray the > > Passion story on film is likely to stir up > anti-Jewish > > sentiment and help to re-ignite the age-old hatred > > that has caused so much Jewish suffering. The > timing > > for the release of The Passion is particularly > poor, > > given the current rise in anti-Semitism > world-wide, > > especially in Europe. > > > > See also: Mel Gibson and the Jews. > > > > FURTHER READINGS: > > > > Carroll, James, Constantine's Sword: The Church > and > > the Jews - A History, Houghton Mifflin, 2002 > > > > Lewis, Bernard, Semites and Anti-Semites-An > Inquiry > > into Conflict and Prejudice. New York, W.W. > Norton > > & Company, 1999 > > > > Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospel. vNew York: > > Vintage Books,1989. > > > > Prager, Dennis and Telushkin Joseph, Why The > Jews-The > > Reason for Antisemitism. New York, Simon & > Schuster, > > 1983 > > > > Trachtenberg, Joshua, The Devil and the > Jews-Medieval > > Conceptions of the Jew and its relation to Modern > > Antisemitism. New York, Meridian Books, 1961 > > > > Rubin, Alexis P., Scattered Among the > > Nations-Documents Affecting Jewish History > 49-1975. > > Northvale, New Jersey, jason Aronson Inc., 1995 > > > > Wistrich, Robert S., Anti-Semitism-The Longest > > Hatred. London, Thames Methuen, 1991. > > > > > > Note: > > I have received a lot of feedback from Christian > > readers regarding the topic of Medieval > anti-Semitism. > > Most of the comments come from evangelical > Christians > > who claim that those who persecuted Jews in the > > Middle Ages were not really true Christians and > that I > > shouldn't lump all Chritians together. > > > > Readers of this series should understand > that > > this is a history series and as such, it reflects > the > > historical realities of the past. One thousand > years > > ago in Western Europe, there were no evangelicals. > > The Catholic Church reigned supreme. > Superstitious, > > violent anti-Semitism was rampant and there were > no > > Christian supporters of the Jewish people. > > > > Today, thank God, the situation is very > > different. There are tens of millions of > Christians > > who are good friends of the Jewish people and true > > supporters of Israel. > > > > In no way is the series meant to reflect the > > modern realities of Jewish-Chrisitan interaction, > nor > > is it meant as an attack against Israel's true > friends > > and allies. My sincere apologies if it was > understood > > to be otherwise. > > > > Sincerely, > > Rabbi Ken Spiro > > > > Author Biography: > > For $180, you can sponsor one issue of Ken > > Spiro's Crash Course in Jewish History in honor or > > memory of a loved one or to celebrate a special > > occasion > > (Click here). > > > > Rabbi Ken Spiro is originally from New > Rochelle,NY. He > > graduated from Vasser College with a BAin Russian > > Language and Literature and didgraduate studies at > the > > Pushkin Institute inMoscow. He has Rabbinical > > ordination fromYeshiva Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem > and a > > Masters Degree in History from The Vermont College > of > > Norwich University. Rabbi Spiro is also a licensed > > tour guide by the Israel Ministry of Tourism. He > lives > > in Jerusalem with his wife and five children where > he > > works as a senior lecturer and researcher on Aish > > HaTorah outreach programs. > > ORDER KEN SPIRO#39S BOOK > > "WORLDPERFECT: THE JEWISH IMPACT ON CIVILIZATION" > > > > What it would take to constitute a perfect world? > Ken > > Spiro questioned more than 1,500 people of various > > backgrounds, revealing six core elements: respect > for > > human life; peace and harmony; justice and > equality; > > education; family; and, social responsibility. A > > highly readable and well-documented book about the > > origins of values and virtues in Western > civilization > > as influenced by the Greeks, Romans, Christians, > > Muslims and, most significantly, the Jews. > > > > "This is a book that everyone in the world should > > read" > > Kirk Douglas-Actor and author > > > > Click here to order WorldPerfect > > > > This article can also be read > > > at:http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/The_Passion_A_Historical_Persp > ective.asp > > > > Copyright © 1995 - 2004 Aish.com - > > http://www.aish.com > > var DMdomain = "";var DMpage = window.location;var > > DMVersion = 86;var DMsendTo = > > "//collector.deepmetrix.com/dm.gif?";var > > DMsession;function dmerr(){return > > true;}window.onerror=dmerr;var u3k8u6y1j3 = new > > Date();if (navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mac') >= 0 > & > > u3k8u6y1j3.getTimezoneOffset() >= > > 720){u3k8u6y1j3.setTime (u3k8u6y1j3.getTime() - > > 1440*60*1000);}var u3k8u6y1 = > > > location.protocol+DMsendTo+"v="+DMVersion+"&vst=1";var > > u3k8u6 = > > > document.cookie.toString();if(u3k8u6.indexOf("_dmid") > > == -1){DMsession = parseInt( Math.random()*1000000 > ) + > > "_" + u3k8u6y1j3.getTime();var u3k8 = > "";if(DMdomain > > != ""){u3k8 = "domain="+ DMdomain > > +";";}document.cookie = "_dmid=" + DMsession + > > ";expires=Mon, 31-Dec-2008 00:00:00 > > GMT;"+u3k8+"path=/;";}u3k8u6 = > > > document.cookie.toString();if(u3k8u6.indexOf('_dmid') > > == -1){DMsession = "";}else{if(u3k8u6.indexOf(';') > == > > -1){u3k8u6 = u3k8u6.replace(/_dm/g, ';_dm');}var > u3 = > > u3k8u6.indexOf("_dmid=") + 6;var g5b1z7i5z6 = > > u3k8u6.indexOf(";",u3);if (g5b1z7i5z6 == > > -1){g5b1z7i5z6 = u3k8u6.length;}DMsession = > > > unescape(u3k8u6.substring(u3,g5b1z7i5z6));}u3k8u6y1 > += > > "&id="+DMsession+"&url="+escape(DMpage) + > > "&ref="+escape(document.referrer)+"&lng=" + > > ((!document.all || > navigator.userAgent.match('Opera')) > > ? navigator.language : navigator.userLanguage) + > > "&tz=" + (Math.round(new Date('dec 1, > > > 2002').getTimezoneOffset()/60)*-1);if(screen){u3k8u6y1 > > += "&scr=" + escape( screen.width + "x" + > > screen.height + + screen.colorDepth + "bpp" > > );}u3k8u6y1 += "&rnd=" + new > > > Date().getTime();if(document.layers){document.write("");}else{document.write > ("");}function > > handle(){return true;}window.onerror=handle;var > > fc_host = 'www.aish.com';var fc_tag = '';var > fc_ssltag > > = '';if > > > (location.protocol=='http:'){document.write(fc_tag);}else > > {document.write(fc_ssltag);}function fcce(){if > > (typeof(fcnf)!="undefined") fcnf();}if > > (null==window.onload){window.onload=fcce;}else{var > > > fcfn=window.onload;window.onload=function(){fcfn();fcce();}}> > > Print Version - Mel Gibson and the > > > > > > Jewshttp://www.aish.com/societyWork/society/Mel_Gibson_and_the_Jews.asp > > > > > > > > > Mel Gibson and the Jews > > > by Rabbi Benjamin Blech > > > His latest lethal weapon? Mel's film promises > > > spiritual inspiration but instead > > > evokes the kind of rage that for centuries past > > > resulted in ruthless acts of > > > retribution. > > > Soon we'll find out who is more powerful, Mel > Gibson > > > or Pope John XXIII. > > > Shortly before his death in 1963, the spiritual > > > leader of Catholics round the > > > world composed this prayer: "We realize that our > > > brows are branded with the mark > > > of Cain. Centuries long has Abel lain in blood > and > > > tears because we have > > > forgotten Thy love. Forgive us the curse which > we > > > unjustly laid on the name of > > > the Jews. Forgive us, that with our curse, we > > > crucified Thee a second time." > > > It was an awesome admission that reversed almost > > > 2000 years of unjustifiable > > > hatred. Christian anti-Semitism, rationalized as > > > fitting punishment for the Jews > > > guilty of the heinous crime of deicide, killers > of > > > Christ, was officially > > > declared "a great sin against humanity." Jews > dared > > > to hope that the distortions > > > of ancient history which prompted Crusades, > pogroms > > > and perhaps -- as many > > > scholars suggest -- even the world's silence > during > > > the Holocaust, were finally > > > put to rest in the dustbin of grievously > outdated > > > theological errors. > > > How strange then to now have the 21st century > > > witness the re-birth of a > > > monumental lie. What the Pope declared a sin, > Mel > > > Gibson has resurrected as the > > > definitive story of the death of Jesus. Once > again > > > the world is told that it was > > > the fault of "the perfidious Jews." In a movie > that > > > reeks with gruesome violence > > > unbearable even by Hollywood standards, "The > Passion > > > of the Christ" weaves the > > > contradictory threads of the Gospels' accounts > > > describing the last hours of the > > > life of Jesus into a tale that portrays a > reluctant > > > Pontius Pilate decreeing > > > crucifixion for "the son of God" at the mad > urging > > > of a Jewish mob led by > > > Caiaphas, the High Priest. > > > No, according to Gibson it wasn't the guilt of > the > > > Romans. Pontius Pilate, as > > > the movie sees it, would never have carried out > such > > > cruel punishment. Mike > > > Evans, a Dallas minister and head of the > pro-Israel > > > Jerusalem Prayer Team, > > > suggested to Gibson that he might add a > one-sentence > > > message on the screen after > > > the last scene: "During the Roman occupation, > > > 250,000 Jews were crucified by the > > > Romans, but only one rose from the dead." That > would > > > make clear to the average > > > viewer that Jews, just like Jesus, were victims > of > > > the same vicious regime. But > > > so far, that message does not appear. It would > > > detract from the theme that runs > > > throughout the film. > > > Rejecting the views of the Second Vatican > Council, > > > Gibson holds firm to his > > > literal interpretation of the Gospels that make > Jews > > > the villains of the most > > > horrendous crime of history: Jews "killed God." > In > > > one version of the movie, the > > > Jews utter the line that almost begs for > retaliation > > > against them to this day: > > > "His blood be upon us and our children!" Whether > > > this scene survives the final > > > cut is still unknown. (It is in fact included in > the > > > version shown to Newsweek's > > > reviewer.) But Gibson is confident that whatever > he > > > decides will be the will of > > > God. As he's publicly stated, "The Holy Ghost > was > > > working through me on this > > > film." And surely not even the healing words of > Pope > > > John XXIII can override a > > > harmful conflicting message to Gibson directly > from > > > the Almighty Himself! > > > Keep in mind, this is from the man who admitted > to > > > saying about New York Times > > > columnist Frank Rich, who was critical about his > > > film, "I wanted to kill him. I > > > want his intestines on a stick. I want to kill > his > > > dog." > > > Most remarkable of all, to my mind, in the storm > of > > > controversy surrounding this > > > film, is that it ought to be even more of a > > > Christian issue than it is a Jewish > > > problem. After all, it is the latter-day Church > > > itself, through its spiritual > > > leadership, that addressed this ancient question > of > > > Jewish culpability. The > > > former Pope was courageous enough to acknowledge > the > > > Church's regrettable role > > > in blaming the blameless. The present Pope, John > > > Paul II, affirmed this > > > confession as he "recognized Christian > > > responsibility for past wrongs against > > > Jews throughout history" and, using the Hebrew > word > > > tshuvah, "repentance," asked > > > for forgiveness. > > > "The Passion of the Christ" suggests that > Hollywood > > > is wiser than His Holiness. > > > It offers a discredited version of history that > is > > > far more fitting for "13th > > > Century Fox" than a contemporary studio aware of > the > > > theology of papal > > > leadership. > > > Those who've seen the movie (Full disclosure: I > > > haven't yet -- but I've spoken > > > to several people who did, both Jews and > non-Jews, > > > Rabbis and priests. I do plan > > > on seeing the film once it comes out and will > write > > > a follow up article.) agree > > > that the Romans fare much better than the Jews > in > > > their treatment of Jesus. As > > > J. W. Eagan famously said, "Never judge a book > by > > > its movie." This is a film > > > that makes the Gospels seem almost tame in their > > > depiction of Jewish evil. Which > > > is why it's so irrelevant to ask the question, > "Is > > > Mel Gibson really > > > anti-Semitic?" > > > Those who wonder whether Gibson hates Jews > simply > > > don't get it. It doesn't > > > matter. Take Gibson at his word, if you want to, > and > > > accept his profession of > > > friendship. He may like us. But that isn't the > > > issue. What matters is what the > > > film is going to accomplish. Simply put, I am > told > > > it is almost impossible to > > > walk out of the theater without hating the > villains > > > -- and the villains are > > > clearly identified as Jews. > > > In a time when religions most need to teach the > > > message of reconciliation, a > > > film promising spiritual inspiration powerfully > > > evokes the kind of rage that for > > > centuries past resulted in ruthless acts of > > > retribution. > > > Passion plays have a history. Jews knew that > > > performances were almost invariably > > > followed by pogroms. What can we expect after > > > millions of people see this film? > > > Some Christian leaders are offended by the very > > > notion that this may have any > > > relevance today. William Donahue, president of > the > > > Catholic League for Civil and > > > Religious Rights, attacks those who express fear > of > > > "the unintended > > > consequences" of the movie's critical portrayal > of > > > the Jews as "pernicious." So > > > if Jews suspect that history may be a guide to > > > modern times, if not by way of > > > old-fashioned pogrom but in more sophisticated > > > contemporary guise, we're guilty > > > of over-reacting and, worse, of even suggesting > that > > > anti-Semitism can again get > > > out of hand. > > > Make no mistake. Movies create mindsets far more > > > than any other medium. Ingmar > > > Bergman was right. "No art passes our conscience > in > > > the way film does, and goes > > > directly to our feelings, deep down into the > dark > > > rooms of our souls." To sit in > > > a darkened theater and be enveloped by a > > > larger-than-life screen is to feel that > > > you are actually experiencing an event rather > than > > > just hearing about it. The > > > Reverend Billy Graham, it's reported, wept > bitterly > > > when he watched "The Passion > > > of the Christ" -- and surely it wasn't the first > > > time he heard the story. > > > No passion play of the past could ever have had > the > > > emotional power of actually > > > being present at the Crucifixion -- with the > added > > > impact of special effects > > > that have made some viewers scream out in > revulsion. > > > > > > Responding to criticism, Gibson denies his > intent is > > > to blame the Jews. "It's > > > not singling them out and saying, 'They did it'. > > > That's not so. We're all > > > culpable. We're all guilty. We all killed > Jesus." > > > Let me make clear to Mel Gibson that for myself, > I > > > deny any personal > > > involvement. I didn't kill Jesus. Neither did my > > > ancestors. Ironic, isn't it, > > > that the same Gibson who willingly accepts > universal > > > guilt for the crime of > > > deicide chooses only the Jews to be singled out > as > > > the real perpetrators. "We > > > all killed Jesus," he claims -- but it's just > Jews > > > whom the movie clearly > > > depicts as the scoundrels. > > > Do Jews have a right to share their concerns > with > > > those who choose to believe in > > > a different version of history? Can Jews object > to > > > an ultraconservative Roman > > > Catholic Hollywood icon producing a movie that > > > reflects his personal bias? > > > The same freedom of speech that guarantees > Gibson > > > the right to make his film as > > > he sees fit allows us to point out what we find > so > > > objectionable. > > > Gibson speaks in the name of Christianity even > as he > > > rejects the explicit > > > pronouncements of its highest spiritual > spokesmen. > > > Gibson claims he is guided by a desire to > promote > > > "love and forgiveness," while > > > he stresses a stereotype of Jews that for > millennia > > > led to hate and retribution. > > > > > > Gibson publicizes his film as the "historically > > > accurate story" of the last > > > hours of Jesus when its depiction rests far more > on > > > faith than on facts and > > > includes scenes -- like the one showing Jewish > > > guards brutally beating Jesus as > > > they take him to the High Priest -- that have no > > > basis in any New Testament > > > source. (Some of Gibson's script is inspired by > the > > > visions of two nuns: one in > > > 17th century Spain and the other in 18th century > > > France.) > > > While the Church has made major strides forward > in > > > reaching out to Jews in > > > reconciliation, "The Passion of Christ" takes a > > > giant leap backwards to vicious > > > Jew-bashing and stereotyping. As Holocaust > memories > > > fade and scholars note the > > > resurgence of worldwide anti-Semitism, the one > thing > > > worse than the "Protocols > > > of the Elders of Zion" in our times is a > > > mass-marketed appeal to religious > > > passion against Jews in the guise of the > Gospels. > > > Regrettably, its very notoriety may well make > this > > > movie highly popular. That's > > > why I pray viewers understand the reason "The > > > Passion of Christ" so strongly > > > fails as a spiritual message. Not only is it > > > anti-Jewish and indifferent to the > > > harm it will surely bring in its wake to > relations > > > between gentiles and Jews, it > > > is so profoundly un-Christian. > > > First of a two-part series. Rabbi Blech's second > > > installment will discuss his > > > reactions to seeing the film. > > > See also: The Passion: A Historical Perspective > > > Author Biography: > > > Rabbi Benjamin Blech is the author of seven > highly > > > acclaimed books, including > > > Understanding Judaism: The basics of Deed and > Creed. > > > He is a professor of Talmud > > > at Yeshiva University and the Rabbi Emeritus of > > > Young Israel of Oceanside which > > > he served for 37 years and from which he retired > to > > > pursue his interests in > > > writing and lecturing around the globe. He is > also > > > the author of "If God is > > > Good, Why is the World So Bad?" > > > > > > > > > To buy The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish > History > > > and Culture, go to > > > amazon.com > > > > > > > > > > > > This article can also be read at: > > > > > > http://www.aish.com/societyWork/society/Mel_Gibson_and_the_Jews.asp > > > > > > > > > 1995 - 2004 Aish.com - > > > http://www.aish.com > > > > > > > > > > > /join > > > > > > > > > > > > "Love itself is the actual form of God." > > > > Sri Ramana > > > > In "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma > > Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 Dear friends, for some week I have been following the passionate discussion here on Gibson's Passion. I feel a bit battered by all that passion. In Germany the movie has received very little attention so far. It was supposed to be duly released on Good Friday, but opening has been delayed for some reason or other. I doubt that the movie will stirr up as much passion in Europe as it has in the US. I think most people in Germany will find it somewhat tasteless and their worries would rather be along the lines that the violence portrayed will set another terrible example for the growing violence among youths in the country. I even doubt that many people will go and see it, but then I could be wrong there. And Michael, at least everybody I know is aware of the crimes of the church. Good night christina On Mar 4, 2004, at 23:17, Michael Bindel wrote: > enclosed you find an article which might be of interest > > michael bindel > > > /join > > > > > > "Love itself is the actual form of God." > > Sri Ramana > > In "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma > > > > Links > > • > / > > • > > > • Terms of > Service. > > > "Aish.com" <newsletterServer > March 4, 2004 13:37:46 GMT+01:00 > <michaelbindel > Spirituality - The Passion: The Movie and the Aftermath > spirituality > > > > > <top_title_aish-com_new_453x37.jpg><cleardot.gif> jewish world > > society today > > • > society > > • > work > > • > arts > > • > science & medical > > • > women > > <cleardot.gif> spirituality > > family > > dating > > jewish literacy > > holocaust studies > > ask the rabbi > > weekly torah > portion > > holidays > > wall camera > > mp3 audio site > > programs in israel > > about aish/donate > > email lists > > <white_home_nav_left_bottom_126x10.gif><cleardot.gif> > <PurimMovie115x122.jpg> > > <Purim02_115x122.gif> > > <ShadowOfTerrorAd115x244.gif> > > <tapestore_ad_aishcom_4a_115x122.gif> > > > Aish.com delivered > handheld devices > e-mail > > <cleardot.gif><nav_sub_titlebar_societywork_458x61.gif> > > <nav_sub_backto_societywork_229x18.gif><nav_sub_barsocietywork_society_ > r_229x18.gif><cleardot.gif> > > <PassionMovieAftermath230x152.jpg> > by Rabbi Benjamin Blech > Perhaps our best response to this Hollywood missionary effort is to > look inward and take pride in the beauty of our own faith. > > <nav_sub_bar_print_email_458x16.gif> > > > "Well," people ask me, "did you finally see the movie?" > > The answer is yes -- and no. I went to a showing of "The Passion of > the Christ," I watched for as long as I could bear it, and then, when > the scenes of sadistic torture began to make me feel physically ill, I > closed my eyes. True, I had been duly warned by reviewers that this is > no less than "The Goriest Story Ever Told," a Marquis de Sade version > of the Gospels; in the words of Leon Wieseltier, the literary editor > of The New Republic, "a repulsive, masochistic fantasy, a sacred snuff > film." And still I was not prepared for what appeared on the screen. > > As the movie mercifully came to an end and the lights went on in the > theater, the woman seated next to me, a total stranger, turned and > asked how I had liked it. I was in no mood for a theological > discussion so I simply said I was appalled by the violence. "You must > be Jewish," she said. > > For a moment I felt complimented. Surely what she meant was that I > had reacted by way of my religion's sensitivity and abhorrence of > bloodshed. But her anger and the words that followed made me > understand the real problem with a film that has already achieved not > only unparalleled press but also a veritable cult following. "Jews are > always going to find fault," she said, "with a story that tells the > truth about our Lord!" > > And then I understood. How is it possible for so many to witness > graphic images that ensure nightmares -- and happily bring their > children along with them? How can an American society that becomes > frantic at the momentary sight of a breast at the Super Bowl be so > indifferent to the 90-minute display of unimaginable cruelty? > > The answer? Americans have profound respect for religion, and the > genius of Mel Gibson is that he has marketed this film as a spiritual > experience. It masquerades as a sacred work of art, a Hollywood > production disguised as the holy wood of the cross. It asks to float > above criticism because the theater has become a cathedral and you, > the viewer, are privileged -- just like the specially invited guests > of evangelicals who were for two months invited to pre-screenings for > "the faithful" --- to be witness to the word of God. > > Don't be grossed out by the blood and the gore -- or even watching a > raven pluck out the eye of the thief on the cross next to Jesus, a > scriptwriter's pure fantasy -- because Gibson has successfully made it > seem that his Mel O'Drama is nothing less than the Bible and a family > outing to this film is as spiritually significant as a Sunday morning > church service. > > Disagree with any part of "The Passion" and for many you aren't > anti-Gibson but anti-God, a non-believer who doesn't deserve the > courtesy of a hearing because you're obviously simply a heretic. > > But to my mind the most important truth that has to be publicized is > that the movie isn't the New Testament, Gibson isn't the voice of God, > and the Jews of the film aren't the Jews of church doctrine. > > Jewish critics of "The Passion" have to be careful, as some have > correctly pointed out, not to edit Christian doctrine. We don't have a > right to tell others what to believe. But when Gibson tells Diane > Sawyer, "Critics who have a problem with me don't really have a > problem with me and this film; they have a problem with the four > Gospels" -- well, to put it bluntly, he's not telling the gospel > truth. It is Christian scholars who take Gibson to task for > manipulating the Gospels he relies upon to tell an incomplete and > distorted story; for fabricating events that appear in none of the > Gospels and for incorporating as New Testament-verified history the > visions of two nuns of the 17th and 18th centuries. > > A panel of church leaders, not Jews, (as reported in the New York > Times, Feb. 25), said the movie "deviated in bizarre ways from the > Gospel accounts...and is numbingly violent." The Rev. Philip Blackwell > put it succinctly: "Mel Gibson says it's a literal interpretation. > It's not. It's Mel Gibson's interpretation." > > And when it comes to the way the movie treats Jews, it's crucial for > us to remember that Gibson doesn't have the right or the moral > authority to speak for the Church. > > <cleardot.gif>What makes the dispute so unnerving, though, is the > surfacing hatred that threatens to overwhelm any dialogue. > <cleardot.gif> > <cleardot.gif>By now we've got to pretty much agree to disagree on the > question of whether "The Passion" is anti-Semitic. The argument rages > beyond the assumed biases of viewers. There are Jews who are satisfied > with the fact that the Romans are identified as the actual > executioners. There are Christians who are disturbed by the portrayal > of a Jewish mob demanding Jesus' crucifixion from a supposedly > unwilling Pontius Pilate. What makes the dispute so unnerving, though, > is the surfacing hatred that threatens to overwhelm any dialogue -- an > unfortunate consequence of Gibson's claim to the depiction of truth by > virtue of his having had "the help of the Holy Ghost" when he made > this film so that whatever he did can't be questioned. > > Sister Mary Boys, a professor at the Union Theological Seminary in > New York, who was part of an ad hoc group that was asked to read an > early screenplay, publicly warned that it could inflame anti-Semitism. > The result? Sister Boys said that not only was Gibson furious but > since the group made those criticisms, she and other members have been > attacked by supporters of the movie as "anti-Christ, the arrogant gang > of so-called scholars, dupes of Satan, forces of Satan and other terms > that I cannot use in polite company." Mess with Gibson's version, is > the apparent message, and you're messing with God. > > But the truth is that the Church is on the side of Sister Boys. For > Jews who have used this movie to confirm their conviction that > Christians will always hate Jews, Gibson has perpetrated an > unforgivable crime that negates one of the most remarkable acts of > communal religious repentance in history. The Second Vatican Council > acknowledged the sin of the Church for almost 2000 years in blaming > the Jews for the death of Jesus. Neither the Jews of that generation > or of those to come, they decreed, bear any guilt for deicide. In > 1988, the Vatican published Criteria for the Evaluation of > Dramatizations of the Passion, with a list of nine points that any > future depictions of Passion Plays are to use as guides. Gibson's > movie ignores every one of them. > > To blame "the goyim" instead of Gibson is for Jews to ignore progress > of incredible import in interfaith relations. Pope John Paul II just > welcomed the Chief Rabbi of Israel as "my older brother." He has > condemned anti-Semitism as "a sin not only against the Church but > against mankind." We are no longer in the age of Christian-approved > pogroms or Crusades and we dare not let a "Mel"-evolent lie blind us > to a theological turning point of history. > > "The Passion" is a movie that ought to give pause to Christians not > only because it is unfaithful to Church doctrine. It is pornography > that asks to be accepted as inspiration; it is violence in the > misplaced service of veneration and love; it is the message of Jesus > summarized not by the teachings of his life but by the horrors of his > death. As Peter Rainer put it so well, "The real damage will not, I > think, be in the realm of Jewish-Christian relations, at least not in > this country. Anti-Semites don't need an excuse to be anti-Semites. > The damage will be to those who come to believe that Gibson's crimson > tide, with its jacked-up excruciations, is synonymous with true > religious feeling." > > For us that carries an important message as well. Jews who are upset > with the movie have concentrated their outcry almost totally on its > implicit anti-Semitism. But this New Testament a là Gibson has another > agenda. The production company considers it "perhaps the best outreach > opportunity in 2,000 years", and plans to market it worldwide to "the > faithless." Soon we will be bombarded by "the good news" of salvation > "through the blood of Jesus" for all mankind. "The Passion" is > passionately interested in converting those who still don't believe > that the crucifixion is our only hope for forgiveness. > > <cleardot.gif>"The Passion" doesn't connect with Jews because we > reject the very notion that God can be tortured, can scream out in > pain, and can die. > <cleardot.gif> > <cleardot.gif>Perhaps our best response to this Hollywood missionary > effort is to look inward and take pride in the beauty of our own > faith. We need to use this as an opportunity to explain that for Jews > personal accountability is the real path to heaven; that we do not > believe someone can die for our sins, nor that God requires the death > of His son to appease Him. At the end of the day, "The Passion" > doesn't connect with Jews because we reject the very notion that God > can be tortured, can scream out in pain and can die. Not only > Christians, but all too many secular Jews still don't get the great > theological issues we have with a movie that from a Jewish perspective > distorts the definition of God and the relationship we have with Him. > > Many years ago I met with Ernest Hemingway. In a remarkably frank > conversation, the Pulitzer Prize winner confessed to me that there was > something about Judaism that he admired more than any other religion. > "From my understanding," he told me, "Judaism, unlike the Christianity > in which I was raised, is a religion of life, not a religion of > death." > > That brilliant insight is what I wish Jews would stress as the > ultimate reason why we can't relate to a film that is preoccupied with > nine hours of dying. "Choose life" is the cardinal message of our > religion. A movie that celebrates death, produced under the Icon Films > label, can only make me regret as a Jew that Gibson didn't take to > heart the Biblical prohibition of the Second Commandment: "Thou shalt > not make for yourself any icons." > > For further reading, see "Mel Gibson and the Jews" and "The Passion: A > Historical Perspective". > Published: Monday, March 01, 2004 > > <nav_sub_bar_top_print_email_458x16.gif> > > > <nav_see_morearticlesby_leftarrow_22x19.gif>See more articles by Rabbi > Benjamin Blech > <nav_see_morearticlesby_END_leftarrow_6x19.gif> > <cleardot.gif>Rabbi Benjamin Blech is the author of seven highly > acclaimed books, including Understanding Judaism: The basics of Deed > and Creed. He is a professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and the > Rabbi Emeritus of Young Israel of Oceanside which he served for 37 > years and from which he retired to pursue his interests in writing and > lecturing around the globe. He is also the author of "If God is Good, > Why is the World So Bad?" > > <image.tiff> > To buy The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History and Culture, go to > amazon.com > > > <cleardot.gif> If you would like to receive this or other Aish.com > features via e-mail, please enter your e-mail address here: > > <nav_see_morearticlesby_bottom_458x8.gif> > > <cleardot.gif>Recommended Products: > > <cleardot.gif><book_16x13.gif>Understanding Judaism > > book > > <book_16x13.gif>The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History and > Culture > > book > > <book_16x13.gif><israel_terror_book_small_92x136.jpg> > Israel: Life in the Shadow of Terror > Personal accounts and Perspectives from the Heart of the Jewish People. > 415 pages > Hard Cover > > book > > <tape_16x13.gif>See audio tapes by Rabbi Benjamin Blech > > audio tape > > > > <nav_sendusyourcomments_articlebottom_v2_458x39.gif>Name required > Display my name? > Yes No > <cleardot.gif> > EMAIL required - not displayed > Your email address is kept private. Our editor needs it in case we > have a question about your comment. > <cleardot.gif> > One Line Summary: > <cleardot.gif> > Comments required > > > <nav_sendcomments_bottom_458x6.gif>Visitor Comments: 78 > > Amanda , 3/4/2004 > Second thoughts > I stumbled upon this article through a link of a religion class. Until > now I was really wanting to see the movie. After reading this article > I really have second thoughts about seeing it, as I am wondering if it > will change everything that I thought I had learned and believed in > from reading the Bible. > > Michael , 3/4/2004 > At the end of the day. > At the end of the day Gibson's "Passion" plays out, with few > exceptions, exactly as the Gospels in the New Testament were written. > I don't know what the sceptics that say it is not Christian Gospels > the "Passion" is based on, are reading. There were Romans and Jews > portrayed in the movie. Good Jews and bad, good Romans and bad. I > think the growing uneasiness of most Christian believers at this time > is the constant and continual slamming at our beliefs, traditions and > values. Ever since I first became a Christian I have supported Israel > and Judaism as the very foundation of my beliefs. Christianity had > it's history of ugliness and hatred hundreds of years ago. There have > been those antisemites that have used false Christian doctoran to > validate their hatred. For this past and sometimes present I can > understand the Jewish fear, to a degree, about any exaltation of the > story of Jesus fueling antisemitism amonst those who were antisemetic > before the film. But they were antisemitic before the film. In as much > as I and those around me, not to mention millions of Christians that > love and support Israel and Judaism, sense that many in the Jewish > world will never get over the idea that there are more Christians by > far that support you than hate you in the United States, believe that > the Gospels do not blame Jews for the death of Jesus. Does all this > sound personal? Well, at the end of the day you have relentlessly > ridiculed a movie that accurateley tells the story of my Messiah. I am > sad, not angry, about that. By the way, I have seen no incidents or > problems against the Jewish community or even heard Christian viewers > Of "The Passion", withwhom I socialize, even suggest the Jews were to > blame. This relentless hatred and attack on Mel Gibson you keep > displaying in your articles cause me to begin to fear you. Do you hate > Christianity that much Rabbi? How do you think the Jewish community > would have been looked upon if, collectvely you would have prayed and > hoped the Christian community would find deep understanding, love and > renewed faith as a result of this movie? Yes, there will be Christians > trying to "convert" people along the way, including those in the > Jewish community. I know telling an evangelist "no thankyou" to > Christianity is real difficult. I wonder what your "outcry" would have > been if the film was about Muhammed or Allah. > > al puglisi , 3/3/2004 > what to do?? > All the comments on this board are spoken from the heart, both pro and > con this movie. I am glad to see that most are con, and that a good > number the cons are from Christians or ex Christians. A couple of > things to reply to. > Kol Tov wrote that it is OK for "educated Christians in America" to > view this film as opposed to the "unwashed masses", I assume he means > in the rest of the world. Well Kol, as someone who spent all of his > adult life in Evangelical churches, don't be rushing to give too many > "educated Christians in America" too much credit.Their brains turn off > at the church door and they operate on blind faith, believing usually > what the pastor tells them and not taking the time to research it on > their own, and if they do, they research it in books suggested by > their church, which already agree with their point of view > anyway.These "educated Christians" may bombard you with their love > babble, but as far as they are concerned, Jews, along with everyone > else who is not them, is going to burn in hell forever. > Much has been said about Mel Gibson being a Catholic. Mel Gibson is > not a Catholic OK. The Catholic church has grown and learned, the sect > that Mel Gibson belongs to remains in the dark ages, and is not > accepted as part of the Roman Catholic community, so please do not > smear Roman Catholicism with the Mel Gibson brush. Do not do Catholics > the same disservice Mel does to Jews. > Finally, many of the Jews who commented on this site are saying what > I have said and have been praying and hoping for for a long time. > Briefly, a brief encounter with two Lubavitchers outside a subway > station sent me on a spiritual journey that rocked my world. No, I am > not a Lubavitcher now, nor am I even a Jew, but I have walked away > from trinitarian, Pauline, atonement Christianity as a result and have > adopted a more Jewish like monotheistic viewpoint. I find myself > battling it out constantly with my fundamentalist compadres and ex > compadres, trying to explain to them the error of their beliefs as it > relates to the Bible. My thesis being, Jewish Jesus, Jewish Messiah, > Jewish rules, thereofe, the by Jewish rules, Jesus is not the Jewish > messiah. But the point I am making here is this, there are many walk > aways out there waiting for the Jewish community to begin to stand up > for its religion, to stand up for truth, to stand up, YES, for the > truth that Jesus believed, that God is one.Many Jews on this site have > said it is time that Jews do this. Please do. Please, please do. > Forums like this are wonderful. The problem is that you are not > reaching the people who need to be reached out there.People who are > looking for a relationship with God but cannot accept the untruths > that Christianity teaches, nor Christianity's derivative > mysticisms.There are Christians out there who are confused and know > that what they believe is not right, but do not know where else to > turn.I say to the Jews, many, many are the people who are looking for > what you have.Share. Be a light to the gentiles. > This movie has struck an amazing blow for fundamentalist, trintarian, > Christianity. I have no doubt that many confused souls out there will > convert because of it. Islam is out there scooping up converts. I beg > you Jews, I beg you, enter the fray. > Thank you > > > See More Comments - > > > > > Like what you read? As a non-profit organization, Aish.com relies on > readers like you to enable us to provide meaningful and relevant > articles. > > Join Aish.com and help us continue to give daily inspiration to > people like you around the world. > Click here -> > > <related.gif> > <nav_sub_barsocietywork_society_l_229x18.gif><cleardot.gif><nav_icon_so > cietywork_society_75x75.gif> > Mel Gibson and the Jews > Never Again? > Life Itself > Escaping the Cyber-Slums > <nav_home_moresocietywork_41x13.gif> > > <nav_sub_barsocietywork_women_l_229x18.gif><cleardot.gif><nav_icon_soci > etywork_women_75x75.gif> > A Woman's Choice > The I of the Beholder > Confessions of an SJF > Power: Public and Private > <nav_home_moresocietywork_41x13.gif> > > <nav_sub_barsocietywork_work_l_229x18.gif><cleardot.gif><nav_icon_socie > tywork_work_75x75.gif> > The Jewish Ethicist: Resume Redux > If I Were a Rich Man > The Jewish Ethicist: Blind Stealing > The Jewish Ethicist: Asceticism > <nav_home_moresocietywork_41x13.gif> > > > <bottom_divider.gif> > > > <cleardot.gif>What do you think of this email? > Help us make these personalized newsletters — and our site — better. > Send us your questions and comments to let_us_know. > > Need to change this e-mail? > • This email was sent to: michaelbindel > • To modify your email account, change your e-mail address, place a > vacation Hold, or to Un: Go to > http://www.aish.com/lists/email_selectpage.asp? > emailUserid=6255&h=20332 > > • If you have any questions or suggestions, email to: > let_us_know. > > Aish.com is the most complete online Jewish resource. 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Guest guest Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 thank you christiane michael - christiane cameron Friday, March 05, 2004 1:59 AM Re: Dear friends,for some week I have been following the passionate discussion here on Gibson's Passion. I feel a bit battered by all that passion. In Germany the movie has received very little attention so far. It was supposed to be duly released on Good Friday, but opening has been delayed for some reason or other. I doubt that the movie will stirr up as much passion in Europe as it has in the US. I think most people in Germany will find it somewhat tasteless and their worries would rather be along the lines that the violence portrayed will set another terrible example for the growing violence among youths in the country. I even doubt that many people will go and see it, but then I could be wrong there.And Michael, at least everybody I know is aware of the crimes of the church.Good nightchristinaOn Mar 4, 2004, at 23:17, Michael Bindel wrote: enclosed you find an article which might be of interestbigger>color> michael bindelbigger>color>http://joincolor> http:/www..comcolor>"Love itself is the actual form of God."Sri RamanaIn "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma Linkssmaller>• To visit your group on the web, go to:http://color> • To from this group, send an email to:color> • Your use of is subject to the Terms of Servicecolor>. color>"Aish.com" <newsletterServer (AT) aish (DOT) com>color>March 4, 2004 13:37:46 GMT+01:00color><michaelbindel (AT) tiscali (DOT) it>Subject: color>Spirituality - The Passion: The Movie and the Aftermath color>spirituality (AT) aish (DOT) comfontfamily><top_title_aish-com_new_453x37.jpg><cleardot.gif> jewish worldfontfamily>color> society todaycolor>fontfamily>• fontfamily>societycolor>fontfamily>• fontfamily>workcolor>fontfamily>• fontfamily>artscolor>fontfamily>• fontfamily>science & medicalcolor>fontfamily>• fontfamily>womencolor>fontfamily><cleardot.gif> spiritualityfontfamily>color> familycolor>fontfamily> datingcolor>fontfamily> jewish literacycolor>fontfamily> holocaust studiescolor>fontfamily> ask the rabbicolor>fontfamily> weekly torahcolor>fontfamily> portioncolor>fontfamily> holidayscolor>fontfamily> wall cameracolor>fontfamily> mp3 audio sitecolor>fontfamily> programs in israelcolor>fontfamily> about aishdonatecolor>fontfamily> email listscolor>fontfamily><white_home_nav_left_bottom_126x10.gif><cleardot.gif><PurimMovie115x122.jpg><Purim02_115x122.gif><ShadowOfTerrorAd115x244.gif><tapestore_ad_aishcom_4a_115x122.gif>Aish.com delivered smaller>fontfamily> handheld devicescolor> smaller>fontfamily> e-mailcolor> smaller>fontfamily>fontfamily><cleardot.gif><nav_sub_titlebar_societywork_458x61.gif><nav_sub_backto_societywork_229x18.gif><nav_sub_barsocietywork_society_r_229x18.gif><cleardot.gif><PassionMovieAftermath230x152.jpg>by Rabbi Benjamin Blechcolor>fontfamily>Perhaps our best response to this Hollywood missionary effort is to look inward and take pride in the beauty of our own faith.fontfamily>fontfamily><nav_sub_bar_print_email_458x16.gif> fontfamily>fontfamily>"Well," people ask me, "did you finally see the movie?"fontfamily>The answer is yes -- and no. I went to a showing of "The Passion of the Christ," I watched for as long as I could bear it, and then, when the scenes of sadistic torture began to make me feel physically ill, I closed my eyes. True, I had been duly warned by reviewers that this is no less than "The Goriest Story Ever Told," a Marquis de Sade version of the Gospels; in the words of Leon Wieseltier, the literary editor of The New Republic, "a repulsive, masochistic fantasy, a sacred snuff film." And still I was not prepared for what appeared on the screen.fontfamily>As the movie mercifully came to an end and the lights went on in the theater, the woman seated next to me, a total stranger, turned and asked how I had liked it. I was in no mood for a theological discussion so I simply said I was appalled by the violence. "You must be Jewish," she said.fontfamily>For a moment I felt complimented. Surely what she meant was that I had reacted by way of my religion's sensitivity and abhorrence of bloodshed. But her anger and the words that followed made me understand the real problem with a film that has already achieved not only unparalleled press but also a veritable cult following. "Jews are always going to find fault," she said, "with a story that tells the truth about our Lord!"fontfamily>And then I understood. How is it possible for so many to witness graphic images that ensure nightmares -- and happily bring their children along with them? How can an American society that becomes frantic at the momentary sight of a breast at the Super Bowl be so indifferent to the 90-minute display of unimaginable cruelty?fontfamily>The answer? Americans have profound respect for religion, and the genius of Mel Gibson is that he has marketed this film as a spiritual experience. It masquerades as a sacred work of art, a Hollywood production disguised as the holy wood of the cross. It asks to float above criticism because the theater has become a cathedral and you, the viewer, are privileged -- just like the specially invited guests of evangelicals who were for two months invited to pre-screenings for "the faithful" --- to be witness to the word of God.fontfamily>Don't be grossed out by the blood and the gore -- or even watching a raven pluck out the eye of the thief on the cross next to Jesus, a scriptwriter's pure fantasy -- because Gibson has successfully made it seem that his Mel O'Drama is nothing less than the Bible and a family outing to this film is as spiritually significant as a Sunday morning church service.fontfamily>Disagree with any part of "The Passion" and for many you aren't anti-Gibson but anti-God, a non-believer who doesn't deserve the courtesy of a hearing because you're obviously simply a heretic.fontfamily>But to my mind the most important truth that has to be publicized is that the movie isn't the New Testament, Gibson isn't the voice of God, and the Jews of the film aren't the Jews of church doctrine.fontfamily>Jewish critics of "The Passion" have to be careful, as some have correctly pointed out, not to edit Christian doctrine. We don't have a right to tell others what to believe. But when Gibson tells Diane Sawyer, "Critics who have a problem with me don't really have a problem with me and this film; they have a problem with the four Gospels" -- well, to put it bluntly, he's not telling the gospel truth. It is Christian scholars who take Gibson to task for manipulating the Gospels he relies upon to tell an incomplete and distorted story; for fabricating events that appear in none of the Gospels and for incorporating as New Testament-verified history the visions of two nuns of the 17th and 18th centuries.fontfamily>A panel of church leaders, not Jews, (as reported in the New York Times, Feb. 25), said the movie "deviated in bizarre ways from the Gospel accounts...and is numbingly violent." The Rev. Philip Blackwell put it succinctly: "Mel Gibson says it's a literal interpretation. It's not. It's Mel Gibson's interpretation."fontfamily>And when it comes to the way the movie treats Jews, it's crucial for us to remember that Gibson doesn't have the right or the moral authority to speak for the Church.fontfamily>fontfamily><cleardot.gif>What makes the dispute so unnerving, though, is the surfacing hatred that threatens to overwhelm any dialogue.bigger>color>fontfamily><cleardot.gif><cleardot.gif>By now we've got to pretty much agree to disagree on the question of whether "The Passion" is anti-Semitic. The argument rages beyond the assumed biases of viewers. There are Jews who are satisfied with the fact that the Romans are identified as the actual executioners. There are Christians who are disturbed by the portrayal of a Jewish mob demanding Jesus' crucifixion from a supposedly unwilling Pontius Pilate. What makes the dispute so unnerving, though, is the surfacing hatred that threatens to overwhelm any dialogue -- an unfortunate consequence of Gibson's claim to the depiction of truth by virtue of his having had "the help of the Holy Ghost" when he made this film so that whatever he did can't be questioned.fontfamily>Sister Mary Boys, a professor at the Union Theological Seminary in New York, who was part of an ad hoc group that was asked to read an early screenplay, publicly warned that it could inflame anti-Semitism. The result? Sister Boys said that not only was Gibson furious but since the group made those criticisms, she and other members have been attacked by supporters of the movie as "anti-Christ, the arrogant gang of so-called scholars, dupes of Satan, forces of Satan and other terms that I cannot use in polite company." Mess with Gibson's version, is the apparent message, and you're messing with God.fontfamily>But the truth is that the Church is on the side of Sister Boys. For Jews who have used this movie to confirm their conviction that Christians will always hate Jews, Gibson has perpetrated an unforgivable crime that negates one of the most remarkable acts of communal religious repentance in history. The Second Vatican Council acknowledged the sin of the Church for almost 2000 years in blaming the Jews for the death of Jesus. Neither the Jews of that generation or of those to come, they decreed, bear any guilt for deicide. In 1988, the Vatican published Criteria for the Evaluation of Dramatizations of the Passion, with a list of nine points that any future depictions of Passion Plays are to use as guides. Gibson's movie ignores every one of them.fontfamily>To blame "the goyim" instead of Gibson is for Jews to ignore progress of incredible import in interfaith relations. Pope John Paul II just welcomed the Chief Rabbi of Israel as "my older brother." He has condemned anti-Semitism as "a sin not only against the Church but against mankind." We are no longer in the age of Christian-approved pogroms or Crusades and we dare not let a "Mel"-evolent lie blind us to a theological turning point of history.fontfamily>"The Passion" is a movie that ought to give pause to Christians not only because it is unfaithful to Church doctrine. It is pornography that asks to be accepted as inspiration; it is violence in the misplaced service of veneration and love; it is the message of Jesus summarized not by the teachings of his life but by the horrors of his death. As Peter Rainer put it so well, "The real damage will not, I think, be in the realm of Jewish-Christian relations, at least not in this country. Anti-Semites don't need an excuse to be anti-Semites. The damage will be to those who come to believe that Gibson's crimson tide, with its jacked-up excruciations, is synonymous with true religious feeling."fontfamily>For us that carries an important message as well. Jews who are upset with the movie have concentrated their outcry almost totally on its implicit anti-Semitism. But this New Testament a là Gibson has another agenda. The production company considers it "perhaps the best outreach opportunity in 2,000 years", and plans to market it worldwide to "the faithless." Soon we will be bombarded by "the good news" of salvation "through the blood of Jesus" for all mankind. "The Passion" is passionately interested in converting those who still don't believe that the crucifixion is our only hope for forgiveness.fontfamily><cleardot.gif>"The Passion" doesn't connect with Jews because we reject the very notion that God can be tortured, can scream out in pain, and can die.bigger>color>fontfamily>bigger>color>fontfamily><cleardot.gif><cleardot.gif>Perhaps our best response to this Hollywood missionary effort is to look inward and take pride in the beauty of our own faith. We need to use this as an opportunity to explain that for Jews personal accountability is the real path to heaven; that we do not believe someone can die for our sins, nor that God requires the death of His son to appease Him. At the end of the day, "The Passion" doesn't connect with Jews because we reject the very notion that God can be tortured, can scream out in pain and can die. Not only Christians, but all too many secular Jews still don't get the great theological issues we have with a movie that from a Jewish perspective distorts the definition of God and the relationship we have with Him.fontfamily>Many years ago I met with Ernest Hemingway. In a remarkably frank conversation, the Pulitzer Prize winner confessed to me that there was something about Judaism that he admired more than any other religion. "From my understanding," he told me, "Judaism, unlike the Christianity in which I was raised, is a religion of life, not a religion of death."fontfamily>That brilliant insight is what I wish Jews would stress as the ultimate reason why we can't relate to a film that is preoccupied with nine hours of dying. "Choose life" is the cardinal message of our religion. A movie that celebrates death, produced under the Icon Films label, can only make me regret as a Jew that Gibson didn't take to heart the Biblical prohibition of the Second Commandment: "Thou shalt not make for yourself any icons."fontfamily>For further reading, seefontfamily> "Mel Gibson and the Jews" color>and "The Passion: A Historical Perspective".color> fontfamily>Published: Monday, March 01, 2004smaller>color>fontfamily><nav_sub_bar_top_print_email_458x16.gif> fontfamily><nav_see_morearticlesby_leftarrow_22x19.gif>See more articles by Rabbi Benjamin Blechcolor>fontfamily><nav_see_morearticlesby_END_leftarrow_6x19.gif><cleardot.gif>Rabbi Benjamin Blech is the author of seven highly acclaimed books, including Understanding Judaism: The basics of Deed and Creed. He is a professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and the Rabbi Emeritus of Young Israel of Oceanside which he served for 37 years and from which he retired to pursue his interests in writing and lecturing around the globe. He is also the author of x-tad-bigger>"If God is Good, Why is the World So Bad?"x-tad-bigger> x-tad-bigger>color>fontfamily><image.tiff>To buy x-tad-bigger>The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History and Culturex-tad-bigger>, go to x-tad-bigger>amazon.comx-tad-bigger>color>fontfamily><cleardot.gif> If you would like to receive this or other Aish.com features via e-mail, please enter your e-mail address here:bigger>color>fontfamily><nav_see_morearticlesby_bottom_458x8.gif><cleardot.gif>Recommended Products:color>fontfamily><cleardot.gif><book_16x13.gif>Understanding Judaismx-tad-smaller>smaller>color> x-tad-smaller>smaller>fontfamily> x-tad-smaller>bookx-tad-smaller>smaller>fontfamily> <book_16x13.gif>The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History and Culturex-tad-smaller>smaller>color> x-tad-smaller>smaller>fontfamily> x-tad-smaller>bookx-tad-smaller>smaller>fontfamily> <book_16x13.gif><israel_terror_book_small_92x136.jpg>Israel: Life in the Shadow of Terrorx-tad-smaller>smaller>color>fontfamily> Personal accounts and Perspectives from the Heart of the Jewish People.x-tad-smaller>smaller>color>fontfamily> 415 pagesx-tad-smaller>smaller>color>fontfamily> Hard Coverx-tad-smaller>smaller>color> x-tad-smaller>smaller>fontfamily> x-tad-smaller>bookx-tad-smaller>smaller>fontfamily> <tape_16x13.gif>See audio tapes by Rabbi Benjamin Blechx-tad-smaller>smaller>color> x-tad-smaller>smaller>fontfamily> x-tad-smaller>audio tapex-tad-smaller>smaller>fontfamily> fontfamily><nav_sendusyourcomments_articlebottom_v2_458x39.gif>Namefontfamily> requiredcolor>fontfamily>Display my name?fontfamily>Yes Nofontfamily><cleardot.gif>EMAILfontfamily> required - not displayedcolor>fontfamily>Your email address is kept private. Our editor needs it in case we have a question about your comment.x-tad-smaller>color>fontfamily><cleardot.gif>One Line Summary:fontfamily><cleardot.gif>Commentsfontfamily> requiredcolor>fontfamily><nav_sendcomments_bottom_458x6.gif>Visitor Comments: bigger>fontfamily>78smaller>fontfamily>Amanda smaller>fontfamily>, 34/2004smaller>fontfamily>Second thoughtssmaller>fontfamily>I stumbled upon this article through a link of a religion class. Until now I was really wanting to see the movie. After reading this article I really have second thoughts about seeing it, as I am wondering if it will change everything that I thought I had learned and believed in from reading the Bible.smaller>fontfamily>Michael smaller>fontfamily>, 34/2004smaller>fontfamily>At the end of the day.smaller>fontfamily>At the end of the day Gibson's "Passion" plays out, with few exceptions, exactly as the Gospels in the New Testament were written. I don't know what the sceptics that say it is not Christian Gospels the "Passion" is based on, are reading. There were Romans and Jews portrayed in the movie. Good Jews and bad, good Romans and bad. I think the growing uneasiness of most Christian believers at this time is the constant and continual slamming at our beliefs, traditions and values. Ever since I first became a Christian I have supported Israel and Judaism as the very foundation of my beliefs. Christianity had it's history of ugliness and hatred hundreds of years ago. There have been those antisemites that have used false Christian doctoran to validate their hatred. For this past and sometimes present I can understand the Jewish fear, to a degree, about any exaltation of the story of Jesus fueling antisemitism amonst those who were antisemetic before the film. But they were antisemitic before the film. In as much as I and those around me, not to mention millions of Christians that love and support Israel and Judaism, sense that many in the Jewish world will never get over the idea that there are more Christians by far that support you than hate you in the United States, believe that the Gospels do not blame Jews for the death of Jesus. Does all this sound personal? Well, at the end of the day you have relentlessly ridiculed a movie that accurateley tells the story of my Messiah. I am sad, not angry, about that. By the way, I have seen no incidents or problems against the Jewish community or even heard Christian viewers Of "The Passion", withwhom I socialize, even suggest the Jews were to blame. This relentless hatred and attack on Mel Gibson you keep displaying in your articles cause me to begin to fear you. Do you hate Christianity that much Rabbi? How do you think the Jewish community would have been looked upon if, collectvely you would have prayed and hoped the Christian community would find deep understanding, love and renewed faith as a result of this movie? Yes, there will be Christians trying to "convert" people along the way, including those in the Jewish community. I know telling an evangelist "no thankyou" to Christianity is real difficult. I wonder what your "outcry" would have been if the film was about Muhammed or Allah.smaller>fontfamily>al puglisi , 33/2004smaller>fontfamily>what to do??smaller>fontfamily>All the comments on this board are spoken from the heart, both pro and con this movie. I am glad to see that most are con, and that a good number the cons are from Christians or ex Christians. A couple of things to reply to.smaller>fontfamily>Kol Tov wrote that it is OK for "educated Christians in America" to view this film as opposed to the "unwashed masses", I assume he means in the rest of the world. Well Kol, as someone who spent all of his adult life in Evangelical churches, don't be rushing to give too many "educated Christians in America" too much credit.Their brains turn off at the church door and they operate on blind faith, believing usually what the pastor tells them and not taking the time to research it on their own, and if they do, they research it in books suggested by their church, which already agree with their point of view anyway.These "educated Christians" may bombard you with their love babble, but as far as they are concerned, Jews, along with everyone else who is not them, is going to burn in hell forever.smaller>fontfamily>Much has been said about Mel Gibson being a Catholic. Mel Gibson is not a Catholic OK. The Catholic church has grown and learned, the sect that Mel Gibson belongs to remains in the dark ages, and is not accepted as part of the Roman Catholic community, so please do not smear Roman Catholicism with the Mel Gibson brush. Do not do Catholics the same disservice Mel does to Jews.smaller>fontfamily>Finally, many of the Jews who commented on this site are saying what I have said and have been praying and hoping for for a long time. Briefly, a brief encounter with two Lubavitchers outside a subway station sent me on a spiritual journey that rocked my world. No, I am not a Lubavitcher now, nor am I even a Jew, but I have walked away from trinitarian, Pauline, atonement Christianity as a result and have adopted a more Jewish like monotheistic viewpoint. I find myself battling it out constantly with my fundamentalist compadres and ex compadres, trying to explain to them the error of their beliefs as it relates to the Bible. My thesis being, Jewish Jesus, Jewish Messiah, Jewish rules, thereofe, the by Jewish rules, Jesus is not the Jewish messiah. But the point I am making here is this, there are many walk aways out there waiting for the Jewish community to begin to stand up for its religion, to stand up for truth, to stand up, YES, for the truth that Jesus believed, that God is one.Many Jews on this site have said it is time that Jews do this. Please do. Please, please do. Forums like this are wonderful. The problem is that you are not reaching the people who need to be reached out there.People who are looking for a relationship with God but cannot accept the untruths that Christianity teaches, nor Christianity's derivative mysticisms.There are Christians out there who are confused and know that what they believe is not right, but do not know where else to turn.I say to the Jews, many, many are the people who are looking for what you have.Share. Be a light to the gentiles.smaller>fontfamily>This movie has struck an amazing blow for fundamentalist, trintarian, Christianity. I have no doubt that many confused souls out there will convert because of it. Islam is out there scooping up converts. I beg you Jews, I beg you, enter the fray.smaller>fontfamily>Thank yousmaller>fontfamily>See More Comments - >smaller>color>fontfamily>Like what you read? As a non-profit organization, Aish.com relies on readers like you to enable us to provide meaningful and relevant articles. x-tad-smaller>fontfamily>Join Aish.com and help us continue to give daily inspiration to people like you around the world.x-tad-smaller>fontfamily>x-tad-smaller>Click here ->x-tad-smaller>color>fontfamily><related.gif><nav_sub_barsocietywork_society_l_229x18.gif><cleardot.gif><nav_icon_societywork_society_75x75.gif> Mel Gibson and the Jewssmaller>color>fontfamily>Never Again?smaller>color>fontfamily>Life Itselfsmaller>color>fontfamily>Escaping the Cyber-Slumssmaller>color>fontfamily><nav_home_moresocietywork_41x13.gif> smaller>fontfamily><nav_sub_barsocietywork_women_l_229x18.gif><cleardot.gif><nav_icon_societywork_women_75x75.gif> A Woman's Choicesmaller>color>fontfamily>The I of the Beholdersmaller>color>fontfamily>Confessions of an SJFsmaller>color>fontfamily>Power: Public and Privatesmaller>color>fontfamily><nav_home_moresocietywork_41x13.gif> smaller>fontfamily><nav_sub_barsocietywork_work_l_229x18.gif><cleardot.gif><nav_icon_societywork_work_75x75.gif> The Jewish Ethicist: Resume Reduxsmaller>color>fontfamily>If I Were a Rich Mansmaller>color>fontfamily>The Jewish Ethicist: Blind Stealingsmaller>color>fontfamily>The Jewish Ethicist: Asceticismsmaller>color>fontfamily><nav_home_moresocietywork_41x13.gif> smaller>fontfamily><bottom_divider.gif> fontfamily><cleardot.gif>What do you think of this email?x-tad-smaller>fontfamily> x-tad-smaller>fontfamily>Help us make these personalized newsletters — and our site — better. 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Guest guest Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when Heappeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire. Thus shall ye think of all this fleeting world,A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,o flash of lightning in a summer cloud,A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 i visited a web site www.kamakoti.org this site belongs to kanchi mutt, kanchipuram,tamilnadu the matter why i recommend this site is it especially contains works by SRI ADI SANKARAR especially on SELF REALISATION in bhagwan ganapathy r ganapathy <icfgans (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: OM NAMO BHAGAVATE SRI RAMANAYA How to Pray for Others a devotee named Mercedes de Acosta once asked Bhagavan how to pray for other people. He answered, "If you are abiding within the Self, there are no other people. You and I are the same. When I pray for you I pray for myself and when I pray for myself I pray for you. Real prayer is to abide within the Self. This is the meaning of Tat Twam Asi - That Thou Art. There can be no separation in the Self. There is no need for prayer for yourself or any person other than to abide within the Self." in bhagwan ganapathy India Matrimony: Find your life partner online. Community email addresses: Post message: RamanaMaharshi Subscribe: RamanaMaharshi- Un: RamanaMaharshi List owner: RamanaMaharshi-ownerShortcut URL to this page: http://www./community/RamanaMaharshi India Matrimony: Find your life partner online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 once read by a author in tamil reg ADI SANKARAR he said LORD DAKSHINAMURTY gave teachings in silence humans not able to get WHO AM I he sent ADI SANKARAR to teach by scriptures the TRUTH and travelling the whole country centuries gone still humans do not UNDERSTAND he sent BHAGWAN RAMANA MAHARSHI WITH THE KEY PASSWORD WHO AM I now humans will get it straight in bhagwan ganapathy India Matrimony: Find your life partner online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2004 Report Share Posted September 19, 2004 om namo bhagavate sri ramanaya once read by a author in tamil reg ADI SANKARAR he said LORD DAKSHINAMURTY gave teachings in silence humans not able to get WHO AM I he sent ADI SANKARAR to teach by scriptures the TRUTH and travelling the whole country centuries gone still humans do not UNDERSTAND he sent BHAGWAN RAMANA MAHARSHI WITH THE KEY PASSWORD WHO AM I now humans will get it straight in bhagwan ganapathy India Matrimony: Find your life partner online. Community email addresses: Post message: RamanaMaharshi Subscribe: RamanaMaharshi- Un: RamanaMaharshi List owner: RamanaMaharshi-ownerShortcut URL to this page: http://www./community/RamanaMaharshi New and Improved Mail - Send 10MB messages! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 15, 2004 Report Share Posted November 15, 2004 ) Attachment: (application/octet-stream) Joke.com [not stored] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Welcome ssehu, Antoine "All spiritual teachings are only meant to make us retrace our steps to our Original Source." From The Essential teachings of Ramana Maharshi, A visual Journey.http://www3.sympatico.ca/antoine.carre/maharshi.htm - sse hu harshasatsang Tuesday, November 30, 2004 12:13 PM Dear Sangha i want to introduce myself in this Sangha. Since many years "i am on the way" and found many years ago Ramana Maharshi. This is it was my impression and it continues to be likewise. All the best to all of you hoping to hear from you too......... ssehu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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