THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 'Passover Plot' Film Controversial BY HERBERT G. LUFT (Copyright 1976, JTA Inc.) HOLLYWOOD — Wolf Schmidt, the American producer of the motion picture "The Passover Plot," in its entirety photographed in Israel, said that he has received numerous letters and more than 3,500 petitions of protest from U.S. re- ligious groups and Christ- ian churches of various denominations, including one from the president of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church outside the Soviet orbit. The petitions call for all Christians to unite in an effort to prevent the re- lease of the film because it would call down the judgement of God in America. Answering some of the criticisms leveled against the film before it has even been released, Schmidt said that "The Passover Plot" is based on the book of the same title by Dr. Hugh J. Schonfield, a world renowned expert on the biblical era, who spent 40 years research- ing the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. Schmidt reveals that fundamentalists have at- tacked him and "The Pas- sover Plot," calling the motion picture blasphem- ous and an attack on God. These charges are made before anyone actually has seen the movie, in which Yeshua (his Hebrew name) is a charismatic, non- violent, purposeful and loving man. The picture isn't an at- tack on God, but raises certain questions about the divinity of Jesus who proclaims that he is br- inging a new world into being. Schmidt admits that "The Passover Plot" is controversial because it reiterates that risks must be taken in the name of freedom. "Marathon Man," the Paramount film from the best seller by William Goldman, sets a young in- tellectual in New York, portrayed by Dustin Hoffman, against a major Nazi war criminal, the enigmatic Christian Szell who had functioned as a chief doctor in the Au- schwitz extermination center. Lord Laurence Olivier is an unlikely choice for the character of Szell but he renders an extremely effective portrayal and is thoroughly- believable. Also in the cast is Marthe Keller,- a Jewish gal from Switzerland, who was in- troduced as a concentra- tion camp survivor in the French-made Claude Lelouch movie "Tout en Vie"; next she will be seen in Paramount's "Black Sunday," the forthcom- ing picture dealing with the activities of Arab ter- rorists in this country. Raphael D. Silver (son of Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver) and his wife, Joan Micklin, producer and respectively director of the much acclaimed "Hester Street," a dramatic ac- count of life in the Jewish ghetto of New York at the turn of the century, join forces again with "Bet- ween the Lines," a comedy about life on an under- ground newspaper in Bos- ton of today. Carol Channing made a surprise guest - appear- ance at the Diamond Jubilee of the Julia Ann Singer pre-school center serving Jewish children in Los Angeles for 60 Production Down in Israel: Writer . TEL AVIV (ZINS) — Ever since the establish- ment of the state of Israel the proportion of workers in the so-called "produc- tive". branches of the economy keeps falling, according to Moshe Ater, an economist writing for the Hebrew daily, Ha'Aretz. According to Ater there are about 1 million bread-winners now employed in Israel. Only 40 percent (400,000) are engaged in producing goods and their produc- tivity is much smaller than that of workers in America or Europe. Ater contends that the productivity of the Israeli worker is 60% less than that of his American counterpart, and 45 per- cent less than that of the European laborer. Ater said these figures explain why there is a shortage of industrial workers. years. Also on hand at the swank Century Plaza Hotel were Florence Henderson, honorary chairman of the center; Israeli songstress Batya, the Schlomo Bachar dan- cers and the musical corn- edy team of Susan Cashman and John Duarte. Zev Braun, son of a Chicago business tycoon and philanthropist, who broke into the movies several years ago with his Israeli-made Western, "Madron," subsequently built a Western street and studio in the Holy Land which was utilized for the production of the Gregory Peck picture, "Johnny Two-Hat," 'and who together with Maximilian Schell as his director produced the anti-Nazi picture "The Pedestrian," now an- nounces the purchase of Howard Fast's "Freedom Road." It will be brought to the screen to the tune of $6 million. Sir Lew Grade, recently elevated to the title of "Lord" Grade, head of Britain's most active mo- tion picture production unit whose "Voyage of the Damned" deals with the plight of the SS St. Louis in 1939, now an- nounces filmization of "The Sweetheart Deal," from the novel by Robert Rosenblum, an expose of the Mafia in America. 1 1 : 1 : Friday, November 26, 1976 17 : 0 1010:04:0:0:0:0:0i0i0i0i0i0i0i0i0i0i0iV:U:UANVANINV;V:V:U : • doll id left out in the COLD! So this year it's your turn to make sure your company's Christmas party is a joyeux noel affair! If you haven't begun to think about it yet, let LS think about it for you. Let us gift wrap your Christmas party. We'll take care of all the details. Like Santa Claus and the Christmas tree for parties over 300. No group is too large or too small. Just call our Catering Department at 879-2100 and we'll go right to work on the best Christmas party you ever had. And you can take all the credit. x. \ X Northfield Hilton 5500 Crooks Rd. at 1 --75 Troy, Michigan 48098 (313) 879-2100 LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I THINK ABOUT LUBAVITCH! A Rabbi once wrote "I like people who like people; that's why I like Lubavitch." Nobody could say it bet- ter; I agree one hundred percent. The Lubavitchers like people — all people, not just their own kind. And they prove it with actions, not just with sub- committees. Come to think of it, that's probably the reason why Lubavitch and me are such a natural "Shidduch," a good match. Both of us like less and less talking and more and more doing. Let me give you a perfect example: A short while ago (just over a year) I was out in Ann Arbor with the "Chabadniks" (that's what they affectionately call the Lubavitchers in Israel) looking for a suitable house for a student center. We fi- nally settled on a beautiful old mansion. The insides looked like . . . well, I'd better not say; you might not pardon the expression! But that was yesterday. Today I am astounded and ecstatic; astounded at what's been accomplished in so short a-time, and ecs- tatic . . . ... at the elegance of Wal- lace J. Newton's decor and designing, . . . at America's most beautiful Mikveh, ... at the spotless Kosher restaurant with delicious, inexpensive food for stu- dents and non-students, . . . at the library, the stereo, the lounge, the Shul and the games room, . . . and, most of all, I'm ecstatic at the long-haired "Chevra," our children and grandchildren, relaxing, reading, eating, talking and listening, in every corner of the Chabad House. You know what I always say. After you get an "Aliya" to the Torah, you usually make a "Mee Shebayrach" (a blessing, and a contribution). Lubavitch has given the entire community an "Aliya." It's time we all gave them our blessings; it's time we made a "Mee Shebayrach." So join us at the Ninth Annual Hassidic Concert at Ford Auditorium on Wednesday, December 1st, at 7:30 p.m. You'll be supporting Chabad- Lubavitch, and you'll have a wonderful evening. Nathan Rossen guarantees it! Looking forward to se- eing you all at the Concert, Nathan P. Rossen Adv.