A British comedy group, Monty Python, was blasted by Jewish groups for its new movie, “The Life of Brian.” Labeling the film “blasphemous and sacrilegious,” leaders of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, and the Rabbinical Council of the Syrian and Near Eastern Sephardic community of America endorsed a statement released last night urging the Jewish community to boycott the film.
Rabbi Abraham Hecht, president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America said in the statement released that “It’s a vicious attack upon Judaism and the Bible and a cruel mockery of Christians as well.” The film, a box office smash, is set in the 1st Century during the time of Jesus. It parodies the misadventures of a Brian Cohen, a next-door neighbor of Jesus, who becomes mistaken for the Messiah.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
