Controversy over Jewish-Israili actress playing Virgin Mary

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This controversy touches on several sensitive and complex issues that intertwine religion, culture, and politics. Some of the primary reasons people are upset include:

1. Cultural Representation: Many critics argue that the Virgin Mary should be portrayed by someone of Palestinian descent or at least of Middle Eastern Christian heritage to better reflect the historical and geographical context of her story. Casting an Israeli Jewish actress for this role is seen by some as ignoring this aspect, especially given the tensions in the region.

2. Political Sensitivities: The casting decision has also been criticized in light of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For some, the choice of Israeli actors for prominent roles in a Christian biblical epic seems insensitive, given the perception that Israel's policies disproportionately impact Palestinian Christians and Muslims.

3. Religious Sensitivities: Casting a Jewish actress as Mary has sparked backlash from some Christians who feel that this undermines their religious beliefs or traditions. Antisemitic comments and outrage from certain quarters highlight underlying prejudices and the tendency of some to use such controversies as an excuse to attack Jewish people in general, which is unacceptable.

4. Catholic Veneration of Mary: For Catholics, Mary holds a particularly sacred and central role in their faith. She is revered as the Mother of God, the Immaculate Conception, and a symbol of purity, obedience, and maternal love. Marian devotions, prayers like the Rosary, and her depiction in art and literature are deeply meaningful expressions of Catholic spirituality. Any portrayal of Mary carries significant emotional and theological weight for Catholics, and decisions that appear to deviate from their understanding of her can feel profoundly disrespectful.

5. Globalization of Media: Others take issue with the casting for artistic or aesthetic reasons, such as the perception that the cast is "too white" or not representative of the diversity of the region during the time of Jesus. This underscores the broader conversation about authenticity in media and the challenges of portraying historical or religious figures.

6. Existing Conflicts Between Groups: This controversy also intersects with long-standing tensions between groups critical of Catholics and Christians and those they target. Critics often leverage such issues as opportunities to generalize or vilify Catholic and Christian beliefs, practices, and institutions. On the other hand, defenders of Catholicism and Christianity may interpret these criticisms as part of broader cultural or ideological attacks, further entrenching divisions. This dynamic adds another layer of complexity to the controversy, with debates over representation being overshadowed by these deeper conflicts.

It is important to recognize that the issue has been amplified by social media, where outrage often overshadows nuanced discussion. While people are entitled to their opinions about casting and representation, using this as a platform to perpetuate antisemitism or hatred is wrong and detracts from legitimate concerns.

At its core, this controversy reflects deeper cultural and political divides, but it also offers an opportunity to explore how media can navigate representation responsibly in an increasingly globalized world.

From what I can tell, these "critics" are just the usual cast of online trolls. I haven't seen any serious movie critic address this.




Were any Palestinian actors overlooked? Is there a Palestinian actress who could have better performed the role of Mary?



Antisemitic comments from random denizens of the internet are nothing new.



Catholics basically worship Mary as a god. For protestants, Mary is irrelevant. I remember having read The Infancy Gospel of James a long time ago, and perhaps being mildly amused. This was before I knew much about Catholicism. Now, I can see how that gospel probably influenced Catholicism. Particularly after watching the movie and re-reading the gospel. In the canonical gospels, Mary is a minor character.



The region was mostly Jewish and Samaritan at the time, with heavy Greek/Hellenistic and Roman influences.



Most Biblical movies these days are tediously dull. If it deviates from my particular beliefs, then it is BLASPHEMY, which might sound bad, but which only means that it deviates from my particular beliefs. There is nothing wrong with "cultural" and "ideological" attacks, so long as nobody is burning anyone at the stake.



Such is life nowadays.



How can media accomplish this?

It seems that there may not be a lot of Palestinian actresses who could have played Mary.

Wikipedia only lists 12: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category: ... _actresses

and they are all too old to be cast as a teen-aged virgin.

IMDB lists 654 Jewish actresses: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls051080020/

DEI seems to have become a dirty word of late: https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/anti- ... n-tracker/

Bending over backwards to cast a Palestinian actress as Mary might have resulted in finding someone who wasn't really a good fit for the part.

Also to consider: most Palestinians these days are preoccupied with simply staying alive. Very few are going to be able to show up for a casting call.

Also, most Palestinians are Muslim. Some Muslims get murderous if anyone does anything as innocuous as to draw a picture of their Mohammed. Mia Khalifa has received death threats over her work. Many Muslim women won't even touch a man. The producers would have to be very careful about casting a Muslima as Mary.

Palestinian Christians exist in various sects, including several Orthodox denominations. I don't know if any of them fetishize Mary's virginity to the extent that our Catholics do, but they probably have other beliefs that might lead to more controversy, if one of their congregants were chosen to portray Mary.

Plus, a Palestinian actress might be under substantial pressure to put on a Kate Winslet-level performance, to avoid being dismissed as a mere DEI hire.

A Jewish actress seems to have been the optimal solution.

A quick Google search has turned up one Palestinian Christian actress so far - Clara Khoury. She's probably not the only one.


Because the movie in question is a Christian movie, it would have made more sense to cast a Palestinian Christian (if possible).


Yes, finding a sufficiently talented Palestinian actress might not be easy. Still they could have at least tried to find one.

If they had tried and were unable to find a qualified Palestinian actress in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, or the Galilee region of Israel, another option might be the Palestinian diaspora in Western countries, where Christians are over-represented, because it is easier for Christians than for Muslims to emigrate to Western countries.

She is 47. Maybe she could have played Mary's mother.

Another potential problem with hiring a Palestinian actress:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/pales ... -ii-203057



If they had found a Palestinian to play the role of Mary, and if she did an Academy-Award-winning performance, then anything that she said or did not say about the war would overshadow the movie itself.

You do realize, don't you, that Mary was not a Christian -- at least not at the time of the birth of Jesus. So why would it make more sense to cast a Palestinian Christian in the part?

This question has already been discussed, in detail, earlier in this thread.