Earlier this week, the first official trailer for the Netflix series about Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus Christ, was unveiled. The ‘coming-of-age biblical epic’ tells the story of one of history’s most profound figures and the remarkable journey that led to the birth of Jesus, Netflix wrote in the series’ announcement. The biggest name in the cast is clearly Anthony Hopkins, who plays King Herod, with the series set to debut on 6 December. The most famous female figure in history, Mary, will be portrayed on screen by Noa Cohen, a 22-year-old Israeli aspiring actress, and the cast includes several other Israeli actors.

Watch the full trailer here:

Cohen and the cast of Israeli actors have sparked an outpouring of antisemitic outrage on social media. Comment sections were flooded with hateful remarks, with Cohen being referred to as a ‘disgusting Jew’. ‘Jews created this, and the actors are Jewish. No thanks,’ one user wrote.

The hateful comments are clearly ignorant of history, as Mary was also a Jew according to the Bible. One user even went so far as to say—though (hopefully) in an ironic manner—that ‘Mary was not a Jew’. ‘As a Muslim, you have no right to insult Mother Mary, one of the greatest female figures in Islam,’ it says.

‘The internet is having a meltdown that a Jewish woman of the land 2,000 years ago is being played by a Jewish woman of the land today’

There were also commenters who defended the new Netflix series and Noa Cohen. Elica Le Bon, the Iranian activist, attorney, and influencer who dedicates herself to opposing the lies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and their followers around the world, condemned this outpouring of antisemitism. She said: ‘The internet is having a meltdown that a Jewish woman of the land 2,000 years ago is being played by a Jewish woman of the land today. Why? Because it reminds us of Jewish indigeneity before conquests & defeats their white colonizer narrative—a lie they’ll die to protect.’

Due to the antisemitic harassment campaign, Cohen has disabled comments on her Instagram post featuring the trailer. The 22-year-old actress previously stated that she felt a ‘tremendous responsibility’ portraying the title character of Mary.

The series’ director, DJ Caruso, defended the decision to cast Israeli actors, saying it was ‘important to us that Mary, along with most of our primary cast, be selected from Israel to ensure authenticity.’

Antisemitism in Western European countries and the United States has flared up again in recent weeks. As reported by Hungarian Conservative on 7 November 2024, following a UEFA Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam, Israeli football fans were subjected to violent attacks by pro-Palestinian assailants. The incidents resulted in at least ten injuries, with three individuals reported missing. Videos circulating on social media depict attackers wielding knives, clubs, and vehicles while shouting anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian slogans.

As a result of the attack, Maccabi Tel Aviv will play their next match against Beşiktaş in Debrecen, Hungary instead of Istanbul. UEFA made the decision to avoid further incidents and for security reasons. Türkiye is a staunch supporter of Palestine, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of commiting genocide in Gaza.

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