Oberammergau - The Passion Story and the Jews

This documentary presents the theatre performance “The Passion” which deals with the trial and death sentence of Jesus and is performed in Obermmergau, Germany, every 10 years. Obermmergau is a Bavarian village with thousands of inhabitants, mostly orthodox Catholics. The performance “The Passion” was written and performed by locals. It was first performed in the 17th century to honor Jesus as none of the locals had died from the black plague that was spreading through Europe at that time. For the inhabitants of the village, the play was a religious experience that also proved financially rewarding as it attracted many visitors to Oberammergau. The performance of 1934 was praised by Hitler as “an influential expression of the evil of the Jews”. The film examines whether anti-Semitic elements are present in the performance and includes segments from the 1980 performance as well as commentary by Dr Leonard Swidler, professor of Catholic Thought and Inter-Religious Dialogue.