The objections of the Jewish community to Mel Gibson’s
movie were, unfortunately, poorly characterized in Nick
Dang’s column, “It’s not anti-Semitic; it’s
just a movie” (Feb. 23). I hope to clarify the reasoning
behind these objections (at least from the perspective of one
individual).
Throughout history, the Jewish people have been maligned,
scapegoated, expatriated, persecuted and murdered in virtually
every society in which we have chosen to live ““ more so
perhaps than any other group (religious, ethnic, cultural or
political). Generally, we have been attacked or expelled after only
a few generations, and always because of various lies.
From Pharaoh Ramses II’s enslavement, later hardships
under Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, Roman Emperor Claudius’
expulsion of Jews from Rome, Masada, the First and Second Crusades,
King Ferdinand’s expulsion of Jews from Spain, the Diaspora
and the Holocaust ““ Jews have never lived undisturbed or
unthreatened, even in the societies to which they have contributed
so much.
Therefore, it is with good reason that we have long paid
attention to rising waters and are sensitive about lies pertaining
to our practices and history. The blatant fallacy of the blood
libel has followed Jews for 1,800 years, and has repeatedly been
used as a justification for the atrocities committed against us.
This particular lie does not stand alone, but it is perhaps the
most insidious.
For example, when the Black Plague struck Europe, Jews in
Switzerland, Germany and France were rounded up and murdered in
numerous towns based on lies that a Jewish plot brought about the
disease. Do a quick search online. Even today, there are videos for
sale purporting to detail how Jews have sacrificed Christian babies
throughout history, supposedly up to the present day! Copies of the
Protocols of the Elders of Zion ““ a proven Russian forgery
dating from the early 20th century purporting a Jewish plot to take
over the world ““ are still available in major cities
throughout the world. And people use these lies every day to foment
hatred against Jews, leading to the yearly hate crimes toward and
murders of Jews in Europe and the United States.
The point is, this movie helps perpetuate the lie that Jews
killed Jesus ““ a lie repeatedly used to justify horrendous
acts against an innocent people. The truth is that the Roman
governor, Pontius Pilate, ordered Jesus’ death, and thus the
blame lies with him. There is no verifiable evidence that Jews were
responsible for his death. Even the Catholic Church ““ via
Vatican II ““ exonerated Jews of this guilt.
The fact Gibson spent a large sum of money on this movie means
absolutely nothing. People spend lots of money to spread lies and
hatred; it doesn’t justify their positions. Gibson’s
devotion to his beliefs are only meaningful insofar as they
motivated him to commit time, money and energy to the project. They
do not justify his portrayal of Jews as being responsible for
killing Jesus.
“The Passion of Christ” cannot be “just a
movie” and at the same time “a call for much
celebration and excitement,” as Dang called it. The objection
to the movie is not that it is about Jesus; Jews do not object to
any piece (theatrical, literary or otherwise) celebrating his life
and story. The sole objection to this movie is that it perpetuates
one very harmful lie that has inspired antipathy toward Jews for
centuries. Christians who want to celebrate Gibson’s movie
ought to celebrate a true story, not a lie, and to rejoice with
feelings of love, not brewing thoughts of hatred. Historical
fiction is not worth celebrating, and lies that fuel hatred are no
cause for rejoice.
As Jews, we are brought up with traditions designed to remind us
of the plight of our ancestors (who as recently as our
grandparents, or for the older among us, our parents, died because
of lies). We act to ensure such events never again befall our
people, or any other people.
On my paternal grandfather’s side of the family I have no
relatives — no cousins, great-uncles or aunts. Nobody old, nobody
young. Yet that grandfather had several siblings, married parents,
cousins, nephews and nieces who all lived in a small town in
Latvia. They all died in a pogrom, an organized massacre, that in
one day took the lives of every Jew in the town, based on lies.
As Jews, we can feel our history. For people who do not have
personal and long-standing experiences with persecution, this
perspective may be difficult to understand. So consider this:
Imagine you, the reader of this article, are accused in a public
sphere of being personally responsible for the death of an
international hero and symbol of peace (say Gandhi, the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr., Princess Diana or the like ““ granted, none
of these people have quite the same standing as Jesus.)
Most people know it is not true, but some have their doubts and
others are certain of your guilt. Imagine that Mel Gibson makes a
movie about this hero, and again reiterates the lie blaming you for
the hero’s death. How do you feel about Mel Gibson? How do
you feel about his movie?
There is a lot of ignorance in this world. And when ignorance
meets false information, innocent people often suffer. Those who do
not learn history are doomed to repeat it. Historically, lies about
Jews have led to crimes against Jews. If one Jew dies or is injured
in a manner that is in any way connected to his movie, his or her
blood will be on Gibson’s hands.
Green is a fourth-year student pursuing joint degrees in the
School of Medicine and the School of Public Health.