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Gibson Film Spurs Dialogue
February 19, 2004Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friendHillel is helping Jewish college students around the world respond to the release of Mel Gibson's new movie "The Passion of the Christ," a film that has triggered a flood of reaction from religious figures and Jewish community leaders. The subtitled, Latin-Aramaic film chronicles the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus in graphic detail and has brought to the surface issues of theology and interfaith relations. Some have accused the film of containing anti-Semitic scenes.
Hillel began preparing for the movie's release in December when it was the topic of a workshop at the annual International Professional Staff Conference. In February, Rabbi Avi Weinstein, director of Hillel's Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning, sent a letter to Hillel professionals recommending resources to address many of the issues raised by the film and encouraging pro-active and engaging programming.
On Thursday, February 26 at 4:00 PM EST Weinstein will hold a conference call to discuss the implications of the movie and how to program in conjunction with it. For more information, contact Avi Weinstein. In addition, at the Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer B'nai B'rith Hillel Forum on Public Policy, Hillel professionals and students will discuss the implications of the movie.
Jewish students all over the United States are looking to the movie's Ash Wednesday release as an opportunity to engage in dialogue with their Christian peers. At Harvard University, Hillel hosted an event called, "'The Passion of the Christ;' Exploring the Historical and Cultural Roots of a Modern Controversy." The dialogue at Harvard was facilitated by New Directions, a program of the Anti-Defamation League and the Archdiocese of Boston. Celia Sirois, a Catholic educator at the archdiocese, and Naomi Towvim, a Jewish educator at the Bureau of Jewish Education facilitated the discussion about the historical foundations of passion plays and the controversy surrounding the new movie.
At the University of Oklahoma, students and staff are working with two ministers from a local Presbyterian Church to reserve a theatre to watch the film. The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion. The students in Norman are also in the middle of a ten-week film series based on the Polish films "The Decalogue." The series has enabled Jewish and Christian students to discuss their shared values and faith stories and thereby build bridges between the two communities.
At Creighton University and the University of Nebraska, Hillel held a one-day conference on January 29 discussing the movie. Nearly 350 members of the community attended the various sessions with topics ranging from "Passionate Moments in the Jesus Film Genre" to "Sectarian Catholicism and Mel Gibson" and speakers from as far away as Boston College. The papers for this conference are available at the Center for the Study of Religion and Society.
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