How stupid would a secret society or cabal bent on global domination have to be to, a) put down in writing their nefarious plans and, b) do so non-anonymously and so irresponsibly that their writings are easily discovered, and the conspiracy made known to the world? And yet, fantastically, there are those who think this with regard to the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," in their believing this to be an authentic find penned by prominent Jews outlining a covert plot, a piece of writing that just so happened to be uncovered and mass publicized. The thought that it might be a forgery authored by some other party so as to steer readers in the wrong direction never enters the minds of these oblivious dupes, or if it does is immediately dismissed. Oh, but when a paper passport belonging to one of the alleged 9/11 hijackers was conveniently discovered near Ground Zero following the attack on the World Trade Center, interesting it was to observe how many of these "Protocol" buffs came out and exclaimed this reported piece of evidence as false, so obviously planted, a red herring.
The title of this documentary is PROTOCOLS OF ZION and although it's not as hard-hitting and focused as one would've liked it to have been (it's a bit too loosely and informally put together), it nevertheless exists and is moderately appreciated for its unambitious effort in attempting to raise awareness of widespread anti-Semitism in modern society.
The director traces the roots of present-day Jewish stereotypes not just to the "Protocols" (a forgery originally perpetuated by the secret police of the Russian Czar in the late 1800s) but all the way back to the time of Christ.
Regarding the latter, a parenthetical aside: Despite the Roman authorities ordering Yeshua's execution, so there was a handful of Jews who were indirectly, partly responsible for the death of Christ: Quite unexplainable is how it is that an entire race is to be blamed for the actions of a dozen or so first-century men. Besides, was not the Crucifixion a necessity in order that the divine plan of redeeming mankind be accomplished? Looked at it this way, what those Jewish leaders did in turning Jesus over to the Romans was, it could be argued, a good thing, in that it set in motion the very event so that every man might be saved.
Among the various people filmmaker Marc Levin encounters and chats with is the admirable Abraham Foxman (whose books are a boon to humanity) and Frank Weltner, founder/operator of a website called "Jew Watch." That Levin is willing to talk with those who're not particularly fond of Jews and to hear them out is, from the perspective of a free-speech advocate and Gentile such as myself, quite commendable, even if what they have to say is the unlearned, unthinking and programmed drivel of idiots or narrow-minded supremacists.
There's one moment that has Levin speaking on the phone with Larry David of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" fame. We neither see nor hear Mr. David but as a fan of his I was so wanting the comedian to agree to an on-camera interview, but alas LD declines, if not in cowardly and snobbish fashion and in keeping with Hollywood elitism.
A significant portion of the documentary focuses on 9/11 and the pseudo-history and cyberlore surrounding it. Truly, this theory that for years has been circulating on the internet of Israel/Zionists being partly or entirely responsible for 9/11 is downright absurd, illogical, and unfounded and, outside of Mideast media propaganda, nothing more than the fatuous ravings of online cranks known to the lunatic fringe (home mostly to far-left and far-right extremists).
Incidentally, one of the reasons why I would never buy a Ford automobile is based on information brought out in the film (info which I'd already known), with regard to Henry Ford -- this, a sad fact demonstrating the extent to which suspicion of Jews runs and how this warped mentality isn't just restricted to undereducated, lower-income rhetoricians.
That anti-Semitism extends far back in history, long before Christ is said to have walked the earth, bespeaks of a level and scope of scapegoating unprecedented and (as one lady in this also feels) diabolical -- that is to suggest, nonhuman, like how the eyes of Hitler appeared during some of his more fervid orations. Which is to say, the speculated superhuman force at the heart of anti-Semitism would naturally be so potent and pervasive as to make the efforts of men like Foxman and Levin seem a futile, lost cause. Other upstanding men in the past have tried wrestling with this spiritual Goliath as well, such as Martin Luther King Jr, who equated anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism and who was able to see through the veiled bigotry of many a pathological and biased critic of Israel. Levin's documentary certainly does its own small share in bringing this ideological disease to light, yet it's safe to say there will always be those who quite frankly are so far gone in their thinking that no book or film or speech or any amount of solid evidence to the contrary will ever have any positive and lasting effect on them. It would be like someone trying to get through to and de-program an incorrigible cult devotee -- sadly, frustratingly, it ain't gonna happen.
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