The controversial Oberammergau passion play, slated to be presented in the West German village in 1970, has drawn the attention of the International Consultative Committee of Organization for Christian-Jewish Cooperation. A spokesman said that the Committee, following a Luxembourg meeting, sent a letter to the town’s authorities asking that any portions of the play which might give anti-Semitic offense to Jews be deleted. Mayor Ernst Zwink of Oberammergau has given assurances that no such passages appear in the revised text of the play which, given every decade, is already a sell-out. Committee members present at the meeting came from Austria, Belgium, Britain, France, West Germany, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Israel.
(The passion play’s management has decided in principle not to alter the traditional text and will retain passages which are regarded as anti-Semitic, West German television reported yesterday. Only minor points in the 100-year-old text were being changed, it was reported.)
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