|
|
August 29, 2003/Elul 1 5763, Vol. 55, No. 53
Gibson's 'Passion' stokes anti-Semitism's coalsRABBI CHAIM SILVERMel Gibson's film, "The Passion," is being described in some quarters as "the most accurate account of Jesus' death as depicted in the Gospels." Accuracy is a relative and often overused term and a strange word to use regarding this subject.Much ink has been spilled by scholars and historians over the centuries concerning the role of the Jewish police and criminal courts in the execution of Jesus, and much Jewish blood has been spilled over the same centuries because of the calumny that Jews are "Christ-killers." It is a well-known fact that the Sanhedrin (the Jewish high court) had stopped judging capital cases in the year 30 C.E., several years before his execution. Thus, even if the Jews had been involved, they would have acted as tools of the Romans rather than as "Jewish" authorities. The life and death of Jesus are so surrounded by historical fog that no clear picture can emerge of his life's activities and the circumstances of his death. The Gospels, which set forth the basic tenets of Christianity, are riddled with contradictory stories regarding Jesus, and therefore the alleged events are acknowledged by many biblical scholars as the stuff of unverifiable legend. What I find alarming is society's readiness to selectively credit Hollywood as a historical authority, when it is well known that the movie industry regularly distorts history in order to make a story more palatable for their viewing audience. If not for an underlying desire by some people to believe that the Jews played a sinister role in the death of Jesus, Mel Gibson's version of history would be of no consequence. From the barrage of hate mail received by the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center since the preview showing of "The Passion" in Houston, it is clear that although the Church's public relations machine has made great strides in acquitting the Jews of any wrong-doing in Jesus' execution, it has done little to change the minds of their constituency. The fear-inducing chant of "Christ-killers" is rearing its ugly head once again. The American Jewish community has very successfully convinced itself that anti-Semitism in the United States is a thing of the past. Now that the Jew has gained access and acceptance in all facets of modern life, the thought of losing this stature is truly unthinkable. It is difficult to imagine that in an era when an Orthodox Jew can run for president of the United States without fear, the Jewish community should have to fear the evil and destructive forces of anti-Semitism. The initial reaction to this movie proves yet again that the unbelievable is very believable. The Jewish memory is very short and naivet‚ is dangerous. Jews were members of governments all over Europe, including the German and Polish parliaments, before World War II. Nevertheless, these Jews were powerless to stop the onslaught of Adolf Hitler's killing machine. "Of all the extreme fanaticism that plays havoc in man's nature, there is none as irrational as anti-Semitism. The Jews cannot vindicate themselves in the eyes of these fanatics," wrote Lloyd George, British Prime Minister from 1916-1922. Anti-Semitism is a problem that will remain with the Jewish people until God redeems us from our exile with the coming of Moshiach (the messiah). Let us pray that this will happen speedily in our days. Rabbi Chaim Silver is the spiritual leader of Young Israel of Phoenix. |
