Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ

I invite debate on this topic.

This film has been receiving a tremendous amount of pre-release publicity, for many reasons, the primary of which is that prominent Jewish leaders are expressing dire concern that the film's depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ presents Jews in a bloodthirsty manner, and will invite anti-Semitism.

As a Jew, I strongly support fighting anti-Semitism with facts and compassion. I do not, however, support the level of anger that many Jewish leaders are directing at this film and its director (Mel Gibson), particularly in advance of its release.

The fact that much of the criticism has come from people who have received leaked or stolen drafts of the script, or who have sneaked into screenings, is disturbing. The bottom line, to me, is this: If we, as Jews, want to dispel the myth that we control Hollywood and the media and are quick to preemptively slash our persecutors' throats, attempting to block the release of a movie is not the way to do it. Let "The Passion of the Christ" speak for itself, and let us defend any perceived inaccuracies once the movie has been released in a measured way.