The Munich, Augsburg and Regensburg (Bavarian) branches of Germany’s Association for Christian-Jewish Cooperation have appealed to the Town Council of Oberammergau to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the staging of the controversial Passion Play based on the anti-Semitic text written in 1860 by a priest named Joseph Alois Daisenberger which blames the Jewish people for the death of Jesus. The Council’s decision overturned a decision by the previous Council last February to proceed with plans for a different version of the play written in 1750 by a Benedictine monk, Ferdinand Rosner.
The Association, in a letter to the Town Council, warned that the staging of the play might endanger the “growing and lively” dialogue between Jews and Christians on doctrinal matters. It added that Oberammergau should “not overlook” the murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. The Association said it understood the “allergy” of Oberammergau’s citizens toward outside interference, but “in terms of the great historical responsibility involved,” this could “not be a criterion.” The outside interference was an allusion to the widespread criticism of the Daisenberger text.
CORRECTION
A story in the April 25 Bulletin quoted Harry S. Taubenfeld, chairman of Herut-U.S.S., as saying:”It seems that The Times sees fit to report only criticism and support when it comes to Mr. Begin. ” It should have stated, correctly,”… to only report criticism and not support…”
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