http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/passion-prejudice.html

" As a film critic and nationally syndicated radio host who also happens to be an observant Jew and longtime president of an Orthodox congregation, I felt heartsick over the denunciations of an unfinished movie almost no one had seen. In the past, I've supported and spoken for the ADL and I recognize its importance to the Jewish community.

Concerned about the unnecessary crisis, I called the ADL office in New York City to say that the angry tone of its press statements would eliminate any chance that Gibson would cooperate in making adjustments to his movie. I also invited ADL director Abraham Foxman to discuss his concerns on my radio show, but he repeatedly declined. In discussing the issue on the air, and in my USA Today column, I emphasized that the attacks on Gibson seemed premature and unfair, especially when connected with the guilt-by-association campaign focusing on his father. Did the star's critics honestly expect him to make some public denunciation of his own parent in order to distance himself from accusations of bigotry?" - Michael Medved

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-07-21-medved_x.htm

" [T]he worries about anti-Semitic messages in the upcoming epic seem overblown based on known facts about the project. Of course, members of the religious establishment in ancient Judea come across badly in New Testament accounts, but beyond these villains, the new movie boasts a Jewish hero (or Hero) — not to mention many other sympathetic Judeans, including Christ's disciples and mother. Moreover, Gibson emphasizes the Hebraic identity of the Man from Nazareth. Production stills show actor Jim Caviezel as perhaps the most Semitic Jesus in cinema history — a welcome change from the Nordic Messiahs in many previous films. To make certain no one ignores the Jewish identity of Christ and the Apostles, Gibson insisted that his actors speak nearly all of their lines in Aramaic, the language of ancient Judea and a close cousin of Hebrew. " - Michael Medved

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/2/24/224229.shtml

" Harvey J. Fields, rabbi emeritus of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles and a longtime interfaith leader, disagreed. Charges of anti-Semitism, he told the Times, were "off target" and he added that he was "disappointed and frankly embarrassed" at the way some Jewish leaders had condemned the film before its opening." - Rabbi Harvey Fields

http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2004/01/09/news/religion/religion02.txt

" It's unfair of Jewish critics to defame Gibson for saying what the Talmud and Maimonides say, and what many historians say. Oddly, one of the scholars who has denounced Gibson most vigorously -- Paula Fredriksen, a professor of religious studies at Boston University - is the author of a meticulously researched book, "Jesus of Nazareth," that suggests it was the high priests who informed on Jesus to the Roman authorities. " - David Klinghoffer