Israeli Recaction
Since Munich started filming last June
in Malta and Budapest, it has been
shrouded in a blanket of secrecy, which
only now is beginning to be lifted ahead
of its limited rollout on Dec. 23, the date
it opens in Detroit.
Because of, or despite, the news
blackout, there has been a constant
stream of critical reports from Israel,
most denouncing the•historical inaccu-
racy of the film.
"This is simply fiction, not a docu-
mentary," said Ehud Danoch, Israel's
consul general in Los Angeles and one
of the few Israelis to have seen Munich.
High-ranking Israelis, in and out of
the Mossad, have expressed astonish-
ment and annoyance that not one had
been consulted by Spielberg or Kushner,
and neither has Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon's office, which oversees the intel-
ligence service.
It is not clear if the filmmakers would
have received any cooperation, since
Israel has never acknowledged that it
carried out the post-Munich reprisals.
Also, within Israel, the book cited by
the filmmakers as a main source,
Vengeance by George Jonas, has been
•
widely discredited.
"The man who came to Jonas and
represented himself to be, in effect, the
Avner character of the movie, was actu-
ally never in the Mossad and only
served a few months as an El Al security
guard',' said a knowledgeable Israeli offi-
cial, who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
He cited a number of obvious techni-
cal inaccuracies, but what most upset
the official was the depiction oy some of
the Mossad agents' actions.
"You can argue that violence begets
violence, but there is a line our security
officers will not cross, and that is the -
ethos of the purity of arms',' said the
official, himself a former officer in the
Israel Defense Forces. "The IDF is the
most moral army in the world."
It also is Israel that has consistently
sought peace, and thus an end to vio-
lence, he added.
After seeing Munich, the official drew
an unfavorable comparison to the con-
troversial film by Mel Gibson, The
Passion of the Christ.
"In The Passion, you have two short
scenes which make the Jews look bad:'
he said. "But in Munich, some Jewish
characters are depicted badly from the
beginning to the end."
Also displeased with the portrayal of
the Mossad agents is historian Michael
Oren, who told the New York Times, "It's
become a stereotype, the guilt-ridden

Mossad hit man. I don't. see Dirty Harry
feeling guilt-ridden. Somehow, its only
the Jews." •
An intriguing question is raised by
Calev Ben-David of the Israel Project,
writing in the Jerusalem Post in the
form of a letter to Spielberg.
"What I really suspect, Steven, is that
you are using Munich as a means of
commenting, in your own way, on the
situation of the United States in a post-
9/11 world:' Ben-David writes.
"But by setting those concerns
against the backdrop of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict, you cleverly side-
step having to contend with the kind of
overwhelming backlash you would face
if your movie made any direct political-
ly charged controversial statements
about America's own current war on
terror."
Whether the point is valid or not, it is
interesting that Munich's final scene
shows Avner walking along the New
York waterfront, with the WorldTrade
Center's Twin Towers clearly silhouetted
in the background.

Historical Fiction
The criticism of Munich's historical
accuracy may be correct, but Spielberg
tries to make this an issue of little
importance by making no claim to his.
film being a literal re-creation of the
historical events. The film is clearly
labeled as "inspired by real events" and
the director and writer have referred to
the contents as "historical fiction."
What may be of more fundamental
importance is whether Israel and her
supporters are better served by movies
that portray its agents as robotic, "I'm
only following orders',' hit men or as men
with feelings, conscience and doubts. To
ask the question is to answer it.
University of Judaism scholar

Michael Berenbaum observed after see-
ing the fascinating, but "long and
draining" film: "I am prouder of a man
who undertakes a violent mission and
is tortured by it than one who doesn't
give.it a second thought.... If you are
transformed by such an experience,
that is the price you pay for what you
have to do;' he said.
Berenbaum warmly praised Munich
as a theatrical experience, "which is the
first duty of the filmmaker, as we have a
responsibility to be open to the art."
Also pleased with the film were Ilana
Romano and Ankie Spitzer, whose hus-
bands were among 11 Israeli sportsmen
killed in the 1972 attack. Spielberg's
producer and screenwriter flew to Tel
Aviv to screen Munich for them. They
voiced satisfaction with the film,
despite the controversy over its histori-
cal accuracy.
"For me, it was important that the
film does no dishonor to the memory
of the murdered athletes, nor to the
image of the State of Israel. Both my
criteria were satisfied:' Romano said.
Whatever the debating points on
Munich, we can be certain they will be
batted about for a long time. A book by
Time reporter Aaron J. Klein is coming
out, arguing that the Mossad eliminat-
ed only minor activists in the Olympic
massacre, but missed most of the major
ones.
Two additional books are in the
works in Israel, and seven networks,
among them the BBC, are reported to
be preparing documentaries on the
making of Munich. ❑

Steven Spielberg's Munich
opens Friday, Dec. 23, in
area theaters.

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December 22 • 2005

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