Change Your Image
judyroak
Reviews
Sister Rose's Passion (2004)
This is a must-see film
I saw this at a Jewish-Catholic dialog meeting. It is beautifully done, and awe-inspiring. It shows what one dedicated person can do. Sister Rose grew up in World War II, and was horrified to see the hatred of Jews that was being taught in Catholic schools. She set out to change it, and she did. This film shows how she did it. In the 60s we saw what people could do to change a society that discriminated against minorities and women. But we have yet to address the fear and institutionalized discrimination against people in religions other than Christianity. For the first time in U.S. history, Christians are realizing that people of different religions are moving into their towns and neighborhoods, even in small Midwest towns, and they don't know how to relate to them. But the deliberate misunderstanding and discrimination against Jews is even more deeply entrenched in our society. Sister Rose's story shines the light on this entrenched hatred, and invites us to open our minds and hearts to people who are different. It's astonishing that so many Christians don't even recognize the fact that Jesus was a Jew. And Jesus taught love for everyone, including those we think are our enemies. As my Rabbi friend says, "Jesus came to bring us back to the spirit of the law instead of the letter of the law only." Since World War II and the holocaust, we are seeing that we can no longer isolate ourselves and ignore those around us who are being persecuted. We must take responsibility for our own actions as well as for those of our cultures and religions.