Broadcaster defends nativity drama after rabbi Jonathan Romain complains about portrayal of one of its characters
The BBC rejected accusations today that a drama about the nativity contained an "anti-Jewish" libel after a leading rabbi complained about the portrayal of one its characters.
Jonathan Romain, a prominent figure in the progressive movement Reform, said the BBC was "spoiling the season of goodwill" by including a scene that showed a rabbi denying shelter to a pregnant Mary.
It shows the mother of Jesus trying to flee a hostile Bethlehem crowd and a rabbi refusing her the haven of his synagogue, letting her escape through a back door instead.
Romain, who sits on a panel that advises the BBC on religion and is a former chair of Reform's Assembly of Rabbis, said many Jews would be "aghast" that amid a story central to the beliefs of millions of Christians "an anti-Judaic aspect has been twisted into the narrative".
"The Gospels tell us there was no room at the inn, not that a rabbi kicked Mary out of a synagogue," he said. "Having survived Mel Gibson's anti-Jewish Easter onslaught The Passion now the season of goodwill has been spoiled."
It would be "tragic" if a 30-minute television programme undid years of inter-faith dialogue, he added.
The BBC rejected his suggestion that the scene constituted an "anti-Jewish" libel, saying there was "absolutely no truth" to claims the rabbi was depicted in a negative way.
A spokesman said that throughout The Nativity, written by EastEnders and Life on Mars' Tony Jordan, the rabbi was seen as an integral part of Mary and Joseph's life. "When Mary returns from her cousin Elizabeth's unmarried and pregnant there is a universally hostile reaction from villagers, including, Joseph and Mary's parents. The rabbi is the only person who shows Mary compassion allowing her to avoid the angry villagers by offering her a route to safety."
Romain responded by saying the overall effect was "very unpleasant ? a hostile Jewish crowd, a baying mob. The BBC claim the rabbi was helpful whereas actually he was curt and only grudgingly let them out the back after Mary's mother pleaded on bended knees."
This year Jordan ? who spent four years working on the script, researching the theological and historical aspects of the story ? said the challenge was to retell the nativity in a way that would "still surprise and move you".
Christians have reacted positively to the drama. It won praise from the Roman Catholic archbishop of Westminster, who said while there was "some clear dramatic licence" there remained "an overall fidelity, not only to the Gospel accounts but also to traditional imagery". The Evangelical Alliance called it an "utterly moving piece of television".
More than 4 million people have been tuning in to the drama each evening, which concluded last night.
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