For the first time, young American Jews and German Catholics will formally debate the meaning of Germany\’s controversial Passion Play at Oberammergau.\n
When the obituary for American journalism is eventually written, a milestone in the journey to its death rattle will surely be the column that The New York Times\’ ombudsman, Clark Hoyt.
Mel Gibson\’s \”The Passion of the Christ\” was the most important American religious event of the past year. For Christians, its effects were quite positive, as viewers already committed to belief in Jesus were roused to renew their faith through the heartrending story of the Crucifixion. For America\’s Jewish community, the effects of the film can also be positive, if we draw the right retrospective lessons not from the movie itself but from the controversy that still surrounds it.
Metuka Benjamin was sitting in a taxicab in a Tel Aviv traffic jam when the Israeli prime minister\’s limousine happened to pull up next to her. The driver recognized Benjamin and told her to ditch her cab and he would take her where she wanted to go — and she did.
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