Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Hypocrisy and
anti-Semitism By Yossi Sarid TRUE, it is not the done thing
among cultured people to express an opinion on a
creative work without actually seeing it. I have
not seen Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of
the Christ," and it is doubtful that I will.
Nevertheless, after reading everything I could
about the movie, I would like to say something
about it. My desire to write about the movie derives,
among other things, from the silence, or
alternatively, the sycophantic nature of the way
liberal circles in the United States are relating
to this inferior movie, as well as the Gibson
crowd, among whom a number of the leaders in our
country can suddenly be found. Only someone who is being disingenuous can claim
that the "Passion" was born in a vacuum, or that it
will not boost anti-Semitism. I understand that
even Pontius Pilate is portrayed in the
movie as an enlightened ruler, surrounded by cruel,
bloodthirsty, long-nosed Jews with rotting teeth -
so say people who have seen the movie. Undoubtedly, within the global reality of
intense inter-religious tensions, with his movie
Gibson has added fuel to the ancient bonfire that
alternately dies down and flares up. If I thought the movie also provided some new,
original analysis of the crucifixion, I would
concede: So be it, in the name of art, we will also
have to suffer this theo-pornograpy with all its
sadomasochist revelations. This is not my
impression. All Gibson has done is take the story
of the crucifixion from the New Testament as is,
and produce it for the big screen while sticking
loyally to the sources. What is so artistic or
creative in taking Jesus down from the cross just
to crucify him again in a ketchup-filled scene? What is to be gained in the exact reenactment of
the crucifixion when the viewers are invited to
watch nails being hammered into the palms of a
tortured man? If this isn't an attempt to stir up
passions, to promote a dispute, and to again cast
darkness on Jewish-Christian relations under the
heavy shadow of the cross, then what do we have
here? The "Passion" is on its way to becoming
Hollywood's number one blockbuster. From the
outset, it would never have made it to the big
screen unless it had a sure chance of becoming a
major hit. Gibson is familiar with the American
soul, with the world's soul, and he also knows for
sure that a movie like this, at this time, will
ride on the high waves of Christian fundamentalism
in his country and in others. Without supportive
surroundings, Gibson, who is not exactly known as a
modern-day Shakespeare, would not have dared make
this movie. Within these surroundings are to be found the
best friends of Ariel Sharon, Benjamin
Netanyahu, Beni Elon, Nathan Sharansky and
Effi Eitam, who are fighting fiercely, as we
all know, against anti-Semitism. Sharon, Netanyahu,
Elon and their friends have long entered into a
blood pact, of ketchup, with the more anti-Semitic
Christian groups in America, who pretend to be
sworn friends of Israel. Their friendship is conditional; for the
evangelists, the return of the Jews to their land,
especially to the Greater Land of Israel, free of
Muslims, is a precondition for a complete Christian
redemption, which includes, among other things,
wiping out the Jews as a people. These evangelicals
see the redemption of Israel as a crucial
foundation in the return of the messiah Jesus
Christ. This is the only reason they encourage
Israel and donate a lot of money to it, mainly to
the messianic streams within the Jewish state, who
view the settlements as the start of the
redemption. Minister Elon, who lately doesn't seem to miss a
single evangelical gathering, occasionally tries to
calm us: I have made our cooperation with them, he
says, conditional on their not engaging in any
missionary activity, and they have agreed. There's
no doubting that the fundamentalist Christians were
impressed by the firm approach of the Israeli
minister. Nevertheless, I permit myself the
assumption that when it comes to choosing between
Elon's conditions and the conditions needed for the
return of the messiah, the good of Jesus wins out,
with all due respect to the minister. The Israeli government's battle against
anti-Semitism is hypocritical, because it is
selective. We are ready to join forces with
anti-Semitic zealots, even with certain Holocaust
deniers, if they are just willing to support the
policies of the Sharon government. We will renew
our ties with Austria, under suspicious
circumstances, even if Jörg Haider and
his party continue to play a central role in the
Austrian government. A few days ago, Haider won a
local election, and he is once again being seen as
the great light of European fascism. With friends like these, who vote en masse for
Haider and flock en masse to see Gibson's movie,
there's no need for enemies; because enemies such
as these friends are hoping to inherit this land in
a war of Armageddon, whose advent, if it is taking
time, maybe needs to be sped up. 
Our
dossier on the origins of
anti-Semitism-
French
Jews run for cover No
distributor for Mel Gibson's film The Passion
could be found in France; community denies blame
-
ADL
chief Abraham Foxman urges Vatican to sink Mel
Gibson film
 -
Mel Gibson film
British
Jews' outrage at Mel Gibson's film The
Passion Of The Christ | Hollywood
Bosses Vow to Destroy Gibson: "I won't hire him.
I won't support anything he's part of" |
Jay
Leno audience gives Mel Gibson spontaneous
standing ovation on live TV
-
Mel
Gibson's father says it again: The Holocaust has
been exaggerated
Excerpt
from interview
-
Outrage in Berlin
Conservative
German politician claims Jews are "a Race of
Perpetrators"
-
Outrage in New York
Billionaire
George Soros shocks Jewish elite, says Bush,
Sharon to blame for global rise in
anti-Semitism
|
write to David
Irving