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Commission
On Interreligious Affairs
of Reform Judaism
Rabbi
Jonathan Miller Letter to his Congregants at Temple
Emanu-El, Birmingham, Alabama
February
23, 2004
Dear Friends,
This Wednesday, Mel Gibson's "The Passion of
Christ" movie will be released. None of us can
be oblivious to the tremendous publicity and controversy
surrounding this film. I have announced to you that
while I do intend to see the movie, I will wait to
view it until after it has been in the theaters for
a while. And neither I nor my fellow rabbis in Birmingham
will comment to the press early on after the release
of this film. We do not feel that it is helpful for
us to push forward the agenda of the Gibson publicity
machine. I have not seen the film, and as a matter
of principle and practical sense, it would be foolish
for me to comment on a film that I have not seen.
So I have not spoken to any of the many media outlets
that have contacted me for comment.
However, all the pre-publicity has made us as Jews
anxious and a bit edgy. In my view, for both Jews
and Christians, this movie has grown beyond its scope
to epic proportions. But take pause and keep in mind
what it really is. This is only a movie. This is a
movie in Aramaic, Hebrew and Latin. It is supposed
to be shocking for its depiction of gruesome violence
and brutality-which may well obscure the message of
Christian forbearance and love that exemplifies the
faith of our Christian neighbors. I imagine that many
of our Christian friends will see this movie once,
out of obligation, and will never want to see it again
because it is so visually disturbing.
For us as Jews, however, this movie has provoked our
fears. We become engaged with our historical memories
of frenzied pogramchiks out to rape, pillage and murder
us because they were taught that we are responsible
for the death of their Lord and Savior. My friends,
rest easy. I truly believe that this movie will not
foment anti-Jewish feelings here in Birmingham. It
may, in fact do just the opposite. It may have our
Christian friends re-examine the meaning of Jesus'
crucifixion and disassociate themselves even more
from the anti-Jewish sentiments found in the Gospel
accounts. Of course we will watch how the movie plays
here in Birmingham. We will listen attentively to
our friends and neighbors. Please feel free to contact
me or Rabbi Hausman-Weiss, or the Jewish Community
Relations Council at the Birmingham Jewish Federation
if you have any concerns or ideas. But at my core,
I am not worried. And I don't want you to be.
Here is another point to consider. No movie can be
the cause of anti-Jewish bigotry. Bigotry by its very
nature has no rational cause. Nobody who is a bigot
needs a reason for his or her irrational hatred. If
someone is going to hate us, then their hatred is
their own responsibility. Anti-Jewish bigotry is not
a Jewish problem. It is a Christian problem; the same
way the anti-black racism is a white problem and not
a black problem.
And we have many Christian friends. We have nurtured
these friends all of our lives. Jews and Christians
in Birmingham have never been closer and our religious
traditions have never been held in greater mutual
respect than today. If this movie indeed portrays
Jews unfairly, I know that we can count on our Christian
friends to deliver the proper message to their religious
communities. And so my friends, once again, rest easy.
Mel Gibson's movie will be released. And life will
go on. And we might even gain from this experience
a greater understanding between our two religious
faiths.
Two more things:
Friday, April 2, 2004, we will invite our neighbors,
the South Highlands Presbyterian Church and Southside
Baptist Church to worship and enjoy Shabbat dinner
together with us. After dinner, Rev. Ed Hurley and
Rev. Stephen Jones will join me in discussion and
in teaching. We will discuss the meaning of Jesus'
passion for Jews and Christians. This is a good thing,
and a program like this would have been unthinkable
just a decade ago. We have been making great strides
in understanding and acceptance of the other.
And if you would like to learn more on your own, the
following resources are available on line. Go to http://rj.org/interreligious/pub/passions.shtml
or http://www.icjs.org/clergy/gibson.html
for more information.
And remember too, Purim is coming.
Shalom,
Rabbi Jonathan Miller
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