Mel Gibson casting in new ‘Rothchild’ questioned
Publicists for the film, which includes Shia LeBeouf, said it was “completely unrelated” to the Rothschild family, despite the subtle difference in name
Jewish groups have questioned the casting of Mel Gibson as the villainous head of a wealthy banking family in a new film called ‘Rothchild’.
In 2006 Gibson’s reputation nosedived after video emerged of his drunken rant about “the f****** Jews” who he said were “responsible for all the wars in the world”.
Two years earlier Gibson, a committed Catholic, made a film called ‘Passion of the Christ,’ which some felt was antisemitic in its portrayal of Jews.
Now he is set to play the patriarch in a New York-based family with a name strikingly similar to that of the Rothschilds, a wealthy Jewish banking family beloved of conspiracy theorists for their role financing Britain’s war against Napoleon.
Publicists for the film, which includes Shia LeBeouf, said it was “completely unrelated” to the Rothschild family, despite the subtle difference in name, or any other Jewish banking family, but Jewish groups were less than impressed.
“Mel Gibson’s vile racist comments about Jews make his casting in this role utterly abhorrent,” said the London-based Campaign Against Antisemitism.
On social media, users derided the thinly-veiled reference, with one joking that “my film ‘Mel Gibbon’ about an abusive antisemitic film star with a martyr complex is completely unrelated to Mel Gibson”.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
