Aug 2, 2006 12:32 pm US/Pacific
Local Rabbi Asks Gibson To Speak On Yom Kippur
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
-
-
This "In Touch" magazine photo of Gibson with some fans at Moonshadows in Malibu, Calif., taken before he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.
inTouch magazine
The rabbi of a Beverly Hills synagogue that serves the entertainment industry has invited Mel Gibson to address the congregation on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.
Gibson issued an apology Tuesday -- his second in two days -- for a tirade he unleashed during a drunk driving arrest in Malibu Friday, when he told a sheriff's deputy that Jews are to blame for all of the world's conflicts.
The 50-year-old Oscar-winning actor-director, said by his publicist to have begun treatment for alcoholism, asked the Jewish community for forgiveness and help in his recovery and said he is trying to understand "where those vicious words came from," given that, he asserted, he is not a bigot.
In response, Rabbi David Baron Tuesday invited Gibson to address the congregation on Yom Kippur, according to the TMZ Web site, which reports on celebrities and broke the story of Gibson's anti-Jewish tirade.
"It is one thing to issue a statement but coming directly into the presence of a community is more effective," read Baron's letter, which was obtained by TMZ. "To that end I wish to invite you to come and speak in order that you might directly express to the Jewish community your remorse."
It added: "In our faith we are commanded to forgive when the offending party takes the necessary steps and offers an apology from the heart."
Baron, who describes Temple of the Arts as "the largest entertainment industry synagogue in the United States," told TMZ that some members of his congregation were skeptical about Gibson's latest apology, feeling he is "an absolute anti-Semite."
"My response was, `Better a repentant anti-Semite than an unrepentant anti-Semite,'" Baron wrote.
Baron has had high-profile personalities address his congregation in the past on Yom Kippur. Last year, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., spoke about personal forgiveness.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
SLIDESHOW: Mel Gibson Meltdown
Mel Gibson's 2nd Apology Gets Mixed Reaction
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments