(RNS3-MAY14) Rabbi Eric J. Greenberg is director of interfaith affairs at the Anti-Defamation League.

OBERAMMERGAU, Germany (RNS) There’s an old saying that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Some might even apply that saying to the Oberammergau Passion Play, the dramatization of the last week of Jesus’ life, which the citizens of this picturesque, mostly Catholic, Bavarian village have been performing virtually every decade since 1634.

For centuries, the play transmitted ugly stereotypes of Jews and Judaism in words and images. Yet for the last three decades, scriptwriters have consulted with the Anti-Defamation League and others to eliminate anti-Jewish teachings. Thus it was with great anticipation that we attended the May 8th preview.

On the positive side, we found a depiction of a Jesus who prays in Hebrew, lifts a Torah scroll, and celebrates his last supper by the light of a menorah (an anachronistic, but well-meaning, touch). The satanic, venal, ugly Judas, who for centuries represented the “Jews,” is replaced by a sympathetic and even tragic figure.

Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, often seen as a patsy of the high priest, is a leather-clad politician dismissive of his Jewish subjects; he is more Himmler than he is helpless. Jewish support for Jesus among the crowds and even among Sanhedrin members is more prominent. So what’s not to like?

Unfortunately, the negative images of Jews and Judaism have not gone away: instead they’ve been replaced, and in some cases enhanced.

Gone are the evil Pharisees cited in the Gospel accounts. But instead, the accusations against them of venality, hypocrisy, and elitism are transferred to the Jewish priests. Worse, rather than recognize these accusations as substantially hyperbolic, the character of Joseph of Arimathea confirms them, and the Jewish priests show these negative traits in action.

Adding to the hostile image of the Jewish priests, the play accords them several lines that attest a raging xenophobia, legalistic control over Jewish practice, and unexplained bloodlust for the death of Jesus that would fit better “Friday the 13th” than “Good Friday.”

The Jewish High Priest Caiaphas is now the arch-villain: a lying, bloodthirsty, and manipulative politician who represents “official Judaism.” His non-biblical lines, such as “Curses and disgrace on all pagans,” play into the image of Jews as hating all gentiles. An invented character named Gad charges Jesus with speaking “to pagans,” as if this is a crime, or even something unusual. Completely ignored is the fact that the Jerusalem Temple welcomed gentile worshipers, as did synagogues in antiquity.

Caiaphas and his underlings charge Jesus with “desecrating the Sabbath.” The script fails to note that most Jews would not have seen Jesus as in violation of Torah law. And although Pilate’s abusive, colonial role remains clear — in his famous hand-washing scene, he dismissively flings the water from his fingertips onto Caiaphas — it is ultimately the high priest who calls the shots.

As far as the popular stereotype of Jews as greedy goes, it too is displaced rather than removed. Scene after scene emphasizes Jews focusing on money, compensation or treasures, adding dialogue not found in the New Testament. The “living image” stage set of the “Golden Calf” is accompanied by the chorus’s repeated reference to a “god of gold.” One of the priests attempts to entice Judas with the comment, “You can still become a wealthy and respected man.”

Finally, the stereotype of Jews as violent pervades the play. The play refers to “the wrath of God” and “an eye for an eye” — a historic misunderstanding of the Torah quote. Confirming this distinction between violent Jews and the peace-loving Jesus are the “living tableaux,” which convey the image of an “Old Testament” angry God who expels Adam and Eve from Eden, terrifies Moses, and manifests “holy wrath.” The destructive canard of the “Old Testament God of wrath vs. the New Testament God of love” is alive and well.

But in reality, none of the negative stereotyping of Jews is necessary for the Passion play to serve as both theatrical experience and spiritual meditation. Certainly a play driven by plot needs a villain, but why use Caiaphas when Pilate is the better choice?

Crucifixion is a Roman form of execution, and the title on the cross — “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” — is Rome’s way of telling all witnesses, “Here’s what the Empire does to your dreams for freedom.”

Caiaphas’s motives do not have to be invented, let alone appear paranoid and sadistic. He is legitimately afraid that, “If we let [Jesus] go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation” (John 11:48).

Between a meticulous historical reconstruction of the last days of Jesus, and careful adaptations of material from the Gospels, the sow’s ear can become a silk purse, and a kosher one at that. We look forward to working with the play officials over the next decade so the Oberammergau play can become a model example of a Passion play that comports with church teachings and the growing positive relationship between Christians and Jews.

(Rabbi Eric J. Greenberg is director of interfaith affairs at the Anti-Defamation League. Amy Jill-Levine is a professor of New Testament studies at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee.