Portland area movie theater at center of antisemitism controversy over marquee advertising 'The Odyssey'

A movie theatre outside of Portland, Ore., is facing backlash aft it displayed a marquee advertizing Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" pinch a provocative connection critics are calling antisemitic. The Lake Theater and Cafe's marquee read, "Before location were nan Jews, location was... The Odyssey."

The marquee sparked outrage successful nan Jewish community, arsenic critics claimed nan connection was historically inaccurate, noting that scholars mostly place nan creation of Homer's epic successful nan 8th period B.C., while Jewish history and nan Israelites predate that play by respective centuries. Critics besides said it was an unnecessary jab amid rising antisemitism across nan country.

The connection was reportedly removed from 1 broadside of nan marquee connected July 16, but remained connected nan different side, OregonLive reported, citing residents who saw nan connection connected July 17. The theatre is located Lake Oswego, a metropolis conscionable southbound of Portland.

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Atmosphere astatine "The Odyssey" New York premiere held astatine AMC Lincoln Square connected July 14, 2026, successful New York, N.Y. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Rabbi Eve Posen of Congregation Neveh Shalom successful Portland wrote connected Facebook astir nan marquee and its reflection of a broader issue. She noted that a car belonging to a personnel of nan Jewish organization had precocious been vandalized pinch swastikas, penning that this was "Not successful Germany. Not eighty years ago. Here. Today."

"Over nan past twenty-four hours, I person recovered myself carrying a weight that is difficult to name," Posen wrote. "None of nan individual moments, taken connected their own, would needfully warrant a nationalist reflection. We unrecorded successful a world wherever group disagree. We statement policy. We situation history. We face acts of hatred. But erstwhile these moments travel 1 aft another, layering upon 1 different successful nan span of a azygous day, they show a communicative that is intolerable to ignore."

She past went connected to knock nan Lake Theater and Cafe's marquee. Like galore critics, she said that nan connection was some historically inaccurate and offensive.

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"The connection is historically false. More importantly, it raises a achy question: why invoke Jews astatine all? A clever movie promotion could person celebrated 1 of nan oldest stories ever told without unnecessarily positioning Judaism arsenic an afterthought aliases a comparison," Posen wrote.

"In a infinitesimal erstwhile antisemitism is already astatine historical levels, casually inserting Jews into a communicative wherever we do not beryllium doesn't consciousness harmless. It feels for illustration different reminder that our communicative is someway expendable, that our history tin beryllium rewritten aliases diminished for nan liking of a punchline."

Israeli influencer Hen Mazzig besides slammed nan theater, calling nan marquee "objectively untrue" successful a station connected X.

"Why is thing existing earlier Jews a trading point? Do they deliberation nan communicative is someway 'untainted' by Jews?" Mazzig wrote. "What disgustingly blatant antisemitism."

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In a matter message, Lake Theater and Cafe head Jordan Perry told The Lake Oswego Review that he was trying to situation what nine considers to beryllium antisemitic.

"My volition is ne'er to power sentiment aliases instrumentality flames, but to say: it’s okay to raise eyebrows, though I dream my messages bespeak a extent of knowing others find successful themselves but not ever successful nan world astir them," Perry told LOR via matter message. "Through nan media I consume, I judge modern-day antisemitism is exaggerated, mostly arsenic a defense for Israel’s actions successful nan Middle East and its engagement successful our politics, and my volition successful referencing Jewish group connected nan marquee was to prod astatine everything being seemingly antisemitic pinch a connection that couldn’t perchance beryllium construed arsenic antisemitic."

He said he did not intend to "offend anyone" and he was trying to "push backmost culturally backmost connected what constitutes antisemitism, to signal, successful solidarity, that it’s not astir ‘the Jews,’ that it’s astir Israel, and Palestine, and Lebanon, and Iran, and AIPAC. This is my ‘humor,’ this was nan point, intentionally subtle, of what I put connected nan marquee."

A marquee advertizing "The Odyssey" landed an Oregon theatre successful basking h2o aft immoderate opportunity nan messaging was antisemitic. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)

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Local outlets noted that Lake Theater and Café had posted edgy messages connected its marquee successful nan past, immoderate of which sewage it successful basking water.

When nan documentary "Melania" came retired astir first woman Melania Trump, nan theatre posted marquees that included, "Does Melania deterioration Prada? Find retired Friday!," a reference to nan movie "The Devil Wears Prada." The different marquee read, "To conclusion your enemy. You must cognize them. Melania."

The theatre claimed successful an Instagram post that Amazon was upset by nan marquees and, arsenic a result, it would nary longer show nan film.

"Got a telephone that nan higher ups (i.e., astatine Amazon) were upset pinch really our marquee marketed their movie (i.e., Melania), that, per them, Sunday would beryllium its past time here. Also got, earlier then, countless emails and voicemails and Google / Yelp reviews (Google / Yelp took them down) wondering why nan hellhole we had Melania here, aliases disdaining our disparaging of her. Now that it's prematurely over, nan plug pulled connected america not from nationalist outcry (always listening, convey you) but by immoderate firm executive (fair enough, sorry AMZN, please don't cancel my Prime), Jordan figured he'd ...say something? Link successful bio. TLDR: welp," nan theater's caption read.

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The station included a photograph of nan theater's marquee, which read: "Amazon called. Our marquee made them mad. All Melania shows canceled. Show your support astatine Whole Foods instead."

Fox News Digital reached retired to Lake Theater and Café and The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland for comment.