Passion Versus Prejudice
By Judson Cox (04/05/04)
As I turned the calendar to April, it struck me that none of the anti-Semitic violence predicted as a result of “The Passion of the Christ” ever happened. That American Christians (especially conservative Christians) are distinguishable from illiterate European mobs of the Dark Ages must have come as quite a shock to my Jewish friends.
I am a staunch defender not only of Israel, but of Jews. I hunt down anti-Semitic statements by leaders, political and otherwise, and condemn them vehemently. My efforts have earned me the friendship and support of countless thousands of Jewish readers, in the U.S., Israel and abroad. The same columns have won me the enmity of those who hate Jews. I receive death threats and angry letters from Islamic fascists, Nazis and anti-Semites frequently.
I began receiving emails asking me to condemn “The Passion” before the release of the film. My Jewish friends and readers, who had not seen the film nor read the book, tried to convince me that “The Passion” would usher in a new era of anti-Semitic violence solely because passion plays were misused generations ago in Europe. Many readers accused me of being insensitive to Jewish concerns when I refused.
When Frank Zappa was criticized over his song, “Jewish Princess”, he most likely responded, “How the *!*&# can I be anti-Semitic, I’m Jewish!” My response was similar, although I’m not Jewish; I am Catholic. My God is Jewish! My Church teaches that spiritually all Christians are Semites! None the less, an impasse in the debate was reached. The argument was, “Why is it that every Jew who watches the film finds it anti-Semitic, while most Christians don’t? Christianity must be inherently anti-Semitic.”
I cannot say that this was a total surprise. During the two years I attended Liberty University, I witnessed Dr. Jerry Falwell take the stage nearly every week, to deliver an impassioned plea for Christians to stand up for Israel. In response, many Jews complained hysterically about evangelical Christians taking over the country and breeding an atmosphere of intolerance and hate. I witnessed President Bush take strong stands for Israel, and refuse to recognize Yasser Arafat; the response from most (liberal) Jews was to call him an idiot.
Jews are an amazing people; they excel in nearly ever field. However, they are lousy at choosing where to place their loyalties. Consider the purges and the holocaust; they began under Joseph Stalin. Stalin had a great deal of support among American Jews. David Horowitz (Radical Son) and others have documented the American Communist Party’s found support among American Jews. Horowitz’s relatives held Stalin in awe – he was a savior to the people. Even as news of the millions of Jews he was systematically starving and imprisoning became evident, they refused to believe them. Loyalty to the Soviet Union was so dogmatic that when Hitler signed a pact with Stalin, American Jews shifted their support to the Nazis.
Loyalty to Hitler was short lived, and even Stalin fell out of favor as the writings of Solzhenitsyn came to light. Most American Jews are mainstream liberal Democrats now. Unfortunately, many still believe the “big lie” that the Catholic Church aided in the holocaust. Evidence that the Catholic Church ran a large scale underground railroad, saving the lives of millions of Jews during the purges and the holocaust is well documented (The Righteous: The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust by Martin Gilbert, The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich by Roman Catholic Books). The Catholic Church was perhaps the most powerful force in the world opposing the ideologies and governments that pursued the extermination of Jews. However, in much the same way many Jews prejudged “The Passion”, many are so bigoted toward the Catholic Church that they will not accept historical fact.
Soon, American Jews will face an important choice. Will they continue to support the Democratic Party, and vote for John Kerry – a man who has expressed admiration for Yasser Arafat and who would not defend Israel without United Nations approval? Or, will they vote for George W. Bush – a man who has shown support for Israel, who has vowed to kill terrorists before they slaughter the innocent and who overturned the Iraqi dictator who threatened Israel for decades? Will Jews finally recognize their allies and condemn their enemies, or will they once again support those who will not support them?
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