This is funny in oh so many ways...
Gibson seeks meeting with Jewish leaders
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mel Gibson on Tuesday apologized for making anti-Semitic remarks after his recent arrest for drunken driving and asked to meet with members of the Jewish community to begin a "path for healing."
"There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark," Gibson said in a statement.
"I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested," he added.
Gibson, who directed 2004's blockbuster movie "The Passion of The Christ" about the last hours of the life of Jesus, was caught speeding in his car in the early morning last Friday, and he went on a rant in which he is widely reported to have said "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department report, parts of which have appeared on celebrity Web site TMZ.com, is laced with anti-Semitic statements and expletives said by the actor.
The report said an opened bottle of tequila was found in the car, and that at one point Gibson tried to evade arrest.
But it has been the anti-Semitic remarks that have raised the biggest outcry from members of the Jewish community in and out of Hollywood because before "Passion," the Oscar-winning director of "Braveheart" and star of the "Lethal Weapon" movies denied he or the movie were anti-Semitic.
His statement on Tuesday sought a meeting with Jewish community leaders in which he could explain his actions.
"I'm not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one-on-one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing," Gibson said.
He said he has begun "an ongoing program of recovery," but admitted "I cannot do it alone."
"I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery," Gibson said.
