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B"sd
Why the Jewish "Passion" against Mel?
Gary Cooperberg
March 03, 2004
Mel Gibson has been under fire for producing a movie on a theme which, in the past, has been exploited to fan the flames of anti-Semitism throughout Europe. Countless Jews were murdered in cold blood in vengeance for the ridiculous allegation that the Jews murdered G-d. One would like to think that civilization has progressed to the point where normal human beings would no longer commit such savage and beastly acts. Yet we can clearly see that this is not the case. When young Arab mothers in Israel have no compunctions against committing suicide in order to murder Jews . . . any Jews; and when other Arabs have no compunctions against deliberately crashing airplanes into crowded office buildings, murdering thousands of innocents, then we can see that humanity has not progressed much.
I have not seen Gibson's movie, nor do I intend to see it. Hollywood today has developed the most amazing technology which can literally depict any concept and make it very real. The monster movies I watched as a child were certainly frightening, and I enjoyed the excitement of watching them. Today they are far more terrifying as the monsters have such an air of reality as to make you believe they are real! "Buffy, the Vampire Hunter" is but one such example. Of course the plot is ridiculous, but the video affects are so real it can make you wonder. So, even without viewing Mel's new movie, I have no doubt that he can endow his character with mystical powers far beyond that of mortal man. I also have no doubt that viewing such a movie will help strengthen the faith which many Christians have in their beliefs. As a Jew, I do not share these beliefs and have no desire to enter into the world of fantasy as seen through the eyes of Mel Gibson. I will not condemn his film first of all because I haven't viewed it. Although I do realize that the theme of the film is one which, in the past, was a source of Jew hatred and inspired the murder of countless Jews, I do not believe that it was Gibson's intent to rekindle that hatred. He has strong religious beliefs and a talent for producing media events and simply wanted to present his beliefs via the media which he uses so well.
We Jews have learned, the hard way, that anti-Semitism can spring up almost anywhere and at any time. As such we are constantly looking around ourselves wondering when the boom will fall again. Most of us will deny this. But the uproar against this new film is only one example. All over the United States Jews, while denying the possibility of anti-Semitism in their neighborhoods, install the most sophisticated alarm systems and bolt locks in their homes. They have video surveillance and often armed guards around Jewish community centers and day camps. Many are outspoken against the Jewish State in a subconscious effort to show the anti-Semites that they are more American than Jewish, and thus they hope to avoid being attacked.
This is too reminiscent of Germany in the thirties, when the Jews of that country did their best to be more German than Jewish in the futile hope that this would save them. Anti-Semitism has never been a normal phenomenon. It is totally irrational. There was no reason for Germany to hate the Jewish people so much that they sought to totally destroy them. Jews contributed so much to German society and never threatened it in any way. No one can logically explain what would drive mobs of normal people to commit such atrocities to their own neighbors and "friends". I am afraid that we are seeing a renewed trend of anti Semitism rapidly growing all over the world. While it is certainly more obvious in Europe, it is already beginning to develop in the United States as well. As always, it is a senseless and irrational hatred which evokes the worst behavior in the most normal of people. But why does it happen?
The Jewish People has been decreed to be a nation that stands alone, not to be reckoned among the nations of the world. We have been defying that decree for centuries, trying to blend in with the nations, only to be spurned by them and, eventually expelled, forcing us to wander from place to place in search of refuge, and also forcing us to retain our Jewish identities. And today, with the miraculous rebirth of Jewish sovereignty in our ancient homeland, we have Jewish leaders who declare that we are no longer an nation that stands alone; that we have a place among the nations. It is this kind of thinking. . . this conscious effort to deny our destiny, which forces our G-d to use the most base elements of humanity to remind us of our Divine obligations. We Jews have an obligation to return to our Land and to return to our G-d. It is not an option. It is our destiny. The more we try to deny our destiny, the more we bring suffering upon ourselves, the purpose of which is to guide us back to the right path.
Exile from the Land of Israel was a punishment and a curse. The rebirth of the Jewish State is a clear sign that our punishment is coming to an end as is the curse of Exile. Rather than rejoicing in this wonderful revelation, most Jews have chosen to ignore and deny it! They have built their palaces in the Exile and have convinced themselves that they are truly home. They are like ostriches who bury their heads in the sand, pretending not to see clear and present dangers which face them.
I do not know and I do not care whether or not Mel Gibson intended to rekindle the flames of deicide accusations against the Jews. Banning his film will not lessen the threat which looms ahead in any event. If Jewish leaders in the Exile were truly honest with themselves, they would do far better to develop programs to educate and encourage their followers to make plans to come home to our only country, Israel. For even were they able to ban this film, the underlying "passion" in the hearts of anti-Semites will never be banned.
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