---

BBC, UK
Mar. 21, 2004
news.bbc.co.uk

---

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 6541 • Posted: Tuesday March 23, 2004  

---

Mel Gibson looks set to provoke further antipathy among the Jewish community with plans to make a film about the story behind the festival of Hanukkah.

The Jewish festival of Hanukkah celebrates the Maccabees’ victory against Greek king Antiochus IV, 165 years before Jesus was born.

“The Maccabees’ family stood up and made war,” said Gibson, speaking on a US chat show last week.

“They stuck by their guns and they came out winning. It’s like a Western.”

Jewish history

“Thanks for trying to make it up to us, but no thanks,” Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League told The Sunday Times.

“The last thing we need is Jewish history turned into a Western. In his hands we would probably lose,” added Mr Foxman.

Claims of anti-Semitism continue to dog Gibson’s controversial film The Passion of the Christ, which has now taken over $300m (£163m) at the US box office.

There was further controversy on Saturday, after Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, added his voice to the row.

His adviser told the official Palestinian news agency WAFA that Mr Arafat found the film “moving and historical”.

---

What You Can Do From Here

---

Read More Articles On These Topics Categories: Films Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article Subscribe Religion News Blog RSS feed [What is this?] RSS by topic: Films Read Another Article Previous entry: Aztec temple is reborn with belief in the sun’s power Next entry: Strange brew RNB Homepage with latest headlines Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books Films Most Popular Today I know the dark side of Scientology…I almost lost my friend when she became obsessed with it ‘Cult’ program in NYC schools Indictment against rabbi Elior Chen: Shook, beat, fed children feces Church of Scientology told to drop Churchill images

---

Share This Article

---

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:

• Post a link on your blog or website:
  
• Send in an email or IM:
  
• Post on a forum:
  

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.