Divided over "The Passion"

The furor over Mel Gibson's film is threatening the fledgling pro-Israel alliance between evangelical Christians and key Jewish groups.

By Eric Boehlert

Aug. 21, 2003 | Mel Gibson's "The Passion," the graphic film about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, won't be released until next spring, but the controversy surrounding the film is already testing the resolve of one of the most unorthodox political and interfaith alliances in play today: the bond between conservative Christians and Jewish groups, who have come together in recent years over their strong support for the state of Israel.

Suddenly, "The Passion" has pitted the partners in this fledgling alliance against one another, on opposite ends of an emotional debate. Jewish groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, have called the film anti-Semitic because it portrays Jews as responsible for the killing of Jesus Christ. But many Christian evangelicals are applauding the conservative Gibson's film.

"I think there's going to be a big backlash" because of the Passion controversy, says Dave Blewett, president of the National Christian Leadership Conference for Israel. "The film could create a divide between Christians and Jews and solidify stereotypes we have of each other."

On its Web site, the National Association of Evangelicals recently posted a statement about "The Passion," which included a passage that rankled some Jewish leaders: "There is a great deal of pressure on Israel right now, and Christians seem to be a major source of support for Israel. For Jewish leaders to risk alienating 2 billion Christians over a movie seems shortsighted."

"We were very saddened and surprised to see that," says Eugene Korn, director of interfaith affairs at the ADL. "It seemed almost like a quid pro quo. Support for Israel shouldn't be part of political negotiations." He notes, "It's the first time in several years the issue of support for Israel had been raised by the evangelical community."

The statement "was never intended to be a threat," says an NAE spokesman. "It was an observation that [Jews] are combating people who support them, groups that have never resisted Israel. It's baffled some evangelicals that Jewish leaders are so antagonistic toward the people who want what's best for the Jewish people."

The evangelical Christian-Jewish alliance, which has been building for years, came into full public view following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, along with the subsequent spike in Middle Eastern violence. Conservative Christians, with close ties to the Republican White House, have been forceful in declaring their unwavering support for Israel and its conservative Likud government. Some members of the Christian Zionist movement, as it's called, have even moved to the right of the White House, bankrolling controversial Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and criticizing the Bush administration's "Road Map" strategy for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Evangelicals are convinced the peace plan would damage the Jewish state.

Late last month House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, traveled to Israel and addressed lawmakers. "I come to you with a very simple message: Do not be afraid," he said, relaying America's Christian Zionist message. "Standing up for good against evil is very hard work -- it costs money and blood. But we're willing to pay."

The alliance has caused discomfort for some Jews, who suspect the evangelical support is based less on a love for Jews than the desire to fulfill interpretations of the Bible, that forecast the coming of the Messiah only when the Jews are in the Promised Land. (According to the prophecies, following the Messiah's return, some Jews will be saved, but most will perish.)

Nonetheless, the Christians' strident political and spiritual support of Israel remains alluring. "Israel's in desperate need of friends," says Blewett. "Some Jews don't want to work with evangelicals or accept their support because they think there's an agenda. But most will, because the issue of Israel is so crucial right now. And they figure they'll deal with repercussions later."

Against that backdrop comes "The Passion." Many conservative Christians are hailing the movie and its literal interpretation of the passion play as a masterpiece, while Jewish groups like the ADL are objecting. Last Friday, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations, urged Gibson to make changes to the film. In a press release, it said that the unreleased film had "generated an unprecedented wave of hate mail and calls" to the center.

The film has the "potential for discord between Christians and Jews, absolutely," adds Kim Troupe, director of Christian Friends of Israeli Community USA. "We're used to hearing from our Jewish friends about their concerns over anti-Semitism. And it's a valid concern."

But some evangelicals insist the ADL isn't part of the Christian Zionist alliance, anyway. "The criticism is coming from liberal groups who are not happy about the [Christian-Jewish] alliance," notes Kristi Hamrick, spokeswoman for American Values, a conservative advocacy group run by former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer. "The ADL is not at the center of this Christian-Jewish partnership."

"That's poppycock," responds ADL president Abe Foxman. "We have been part of the Christian-Jewish dialogue." He notes last year that the ADL reprinted a pro-Israel essay by Ralph Reed, former head of the Christian Coalition, and ran it as a full-page ad in the New York Times. As for the stridently pro-Israel ADL being "liberal," "That's part of a small group of the evangelical community and making noise; that's their political hang-ups," he says.

Next page: Evangelicals say they're getting nasty e-mail from Jews