Unsolicited information
Sir: Your readers may be interested in learning some background to the con- troversy surrounding The Last Temptation of Christ, which has just opened in Los Angeles, and which is scheduled to hit the UK very soon.
Leading the Christian protests here in LA was the Revd Robert L. Hymers, an extremely enigmatic figure on the Christ- ian Right. Despite his ultra-conservative platform, Mr Hymers ministers to an ex- tremely multi-racial downtown constituen- cy of Third World congregants; indeed his own wife — and mother to his twin sons — is from Brazil.
Almost ten per cent of his congregation, and almost 100 per cent of his lieutenants, are 'Jews for Jesus' — a cult of ethnic Jews who have forsaken their ethno-religious traditions for Hymers's brand of Christian fundamentalism. Indeed, Hymers's wed- ding was performed by Moishe Rosen, the head of 'Jews for Jesus', And the 'Jesus' character at his Beverly Hills demo outside Lou Wasserman's house was played by one Ivan Klein, one of Rosen's disciples.
Some 'Jews for Jesus' have resigned from Hymers's movement on account of his alleged 'anti-semitic' remarks. However, more informed observers note that he deliberately singled out Universal's Was- serman for protest, when he could just as easily have fingered the Greek writer, or the Italian producer, or the Anglo lead actor.
David McCalden
PO Box 3849, Manhattan Beach, California 90266, USA
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