Virgin Mary: Palestinian or Jew? The controversy

[DaveW]

This is absolutely unbelievable. 
https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/virgin-mary-palestinian-or-jew

Casting a Jew to portray a Jew causes controversy

An upcoming Netflix film invites viewers to reimagine the events leading up to the Nativity story through the eyes of Mary. However, a trailer released amid wartime tensions and surging anti-Semitism has already sparked a perplexing debate.

Most cinematic portrayals of biblical events face criticism for artistic liberties and deviations from Scripture. Mary, produced by megachurch Evangelical pastor Joel Osteen, seems unlikely to be an exception to the rule. However, in this case, it's not questionable embellishments causing a stir, but rather the actress chosen to portray the virgin herself: Israeli Noa Cohen.

Cohen, a relatively unknown actress, straps on Mary's sandals to explore her coming of age before the miraculous conception. Scenes from the trailer depict the life of a young woman in Galilee and Judea living under the reign of King Herod the Great (portrayed by Anthony Hopkins), navigating a budding romance with a young Joseph of Nazareth and grappling with her spiritual destiny.

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