Maia Morgenstern (Mary) Defends "Passion"

Jewish Actress Defends Mel Gibson's Film

ROME, NOV. 4, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Jewish actress Maia Morgenstern, who plays the role of the Virgin Mary in Mel Gibson's "The Passion," has defended the film in an interview.

In the latest issue of The Jewish Journal, Morgenstern, 41, says that the film is not "anti-Semitic." "Yes, the villain is the Jewish high priest, Caiaphas," she said from her home in Bucharest, Romania. "But he clearly represents the regime, not the Jewish people."

"Authorities throughout history have persecuted individuals with revolutionary ideas," said Morgenstern, a daughter of a Holocaust survivor.

Morgenstern says that "The Passion" opposes such oppression. "It is about letting people speak openly about what they think and believe," she adds. "It denounces the madness of violence and cruelty, which if unchecked can spread like a disease."