"Instead of affirming its critics' nightmares, 'The Passion'
has proved just the opposite, namely, how generously disposed
American Christians are toward their Jewish neighbors. If latent
anti-Semitism dwelled in the hearts of Americans, the movie would
have been a convenient catalyst for expressing it. Since that has
not happened, the record-breaking crowds are telling us that they
are moved by the positive, the religious and the inspirational,
not by prejudice or prurience. 'The Passion' should be now seen as
a watershed event announcing once and for all that anti-Semitism
barely exists in America's Christian communities. All were invited
to the bar, as it were, and instead of getting drunk and brawling,
they raised their glasses in cheers. For the Jewish community,
the results should be cause for celebration, not anxiety. ...The
Muslim world may well use this Christian film to depict Jews
as evil and further their anti-Jewish propaganda....Last week
Reuters reported that ' 'The Passion of the Christ' is all the
rage among Palestinians, curious about complaints by Jews that
it is anti-Semitic.' Likewise in much of Europe, predisposed as
it is to Jew-hatred, the movie may stir continued demonization
of Jews. In contrast, American Christian leaders will continue
to use this as an opportunity to show friendship to the Jewish
community...To be sure, even in America there will be occasional
incidents of anti-Semitism, as there were before the film, but
in a nation of almost 300 million, they will be statistically
insignificant. The heads of American Jewish organizations ignited
this world-wide controversy by implying that American Christians
are but one movie away from attacking their Jewish neighbors. Now
that the evidence is in, will they apologize? --Rabbi Aryeh Spero,
Wall Street Journal Editorial