A quality of mercy

I very much like this response to Mel Gibson from Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein. His attitude is basically: Look, if you just want a let's-kiss-and-make-up response from the Jewish community, forget it. But if you're serious about repentance, we want to help you. Excerpts:

That is not to say that we will spurn you. Far from it. We would point you in the direction of the next steps. We would look with empathy and support as you explored the reasons for your feelings. Frankly, growing up with the father you did, it would be difficult for some of his hatred of Jews not to rub off in some manner or form. In a word, what you need to do is confront every negative stereotype you own, and understand what is wrong with them. You need to study some Jewish history, and learn about who Jews are at the core. You need to explode the myth of Jewish power by learning about two thousand years of Jewish powerlessness. You need to hear the personal stories of Holocaust survivors, and then stand in silence — alone — at Auschwitz and contemplate the natural trajectory of hatred. You need to visit Israel, to understand the miracle of her existence, and why those who wish to destroy her will come after Christians next. You need to meet Jews who devoted their lives to making this a better world for all its citizens.

It would be a fine thing if Gibson made a quiet visit, without alerting the media, to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. I'm not exactly ill-informed about the Holocaust, but what struck me about my own visit was learning from the exhibits how the media in Germany prepared the population for the Holocaust through years of propaganda describing the Jews as a parasite that must be expelled from the body so it can be healthy. This is precisely the kind of rhetoric modern-day Islamic anti-Semites use. What got to me was making the connection between allowing yourself to start thinking and talking in a racist way -- I mean, that sort of thing becoming acceptable as part of daily discourse -- and how that can soften up society and make people more willing to accept much worse.

More from the rabbi, speaking on behalf of the Jewish community, or at least a segment of it:

We are not prepared to squander such an opportunity. We appreciate your apology, and wait to see it turned into a fuller repentance. We will cheer you on — but only from the sidelines. If and when you get there, you can be certain that we will welcome you. You will not find a better fan club than the Jewish community warming up to a foe turned friend. We will be watching hopefully for your next steps. If you take them, we will not let you down.

I find that honorable, and an example to us all. If I kept my own eyes on the possibility of true redemption instead of making condemnation an end, I'd be a better man.