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‘The Odyssey,’ the Jews and a history lesson for an Oregon theater

July 23, 2026 · 1 min read

(RNS) — Remind me once again not to rely on movie theater marquees for my education in ancient history.

Lake Theater & Cafe, a small independent cinema in Lake Oswego, Oregon, advertised Christopher Nolan’s new film with this line : “Before there were the Jews, there was … ‘The Odyssey.’” (Full disclosure: I have not seen the movie yet, and I am quite eager to do so.)

It stayed up for days, on both sides of the building, while the Jewish community of greater Portland asked, rhetorically: What does this have to do with the Jews?

The theater manager told the Portland Tribune the marquee message was meant to be an “intentionally subtle” way of saying he believes antisemitism is “exaggerated, mostly as a defense for Israel’s actions in the Middle East and its involvement in our politics.”

It’s also historically inaccurate.

Homer’s “Odyssey” describes events that happened at the close of the Trojan War, around 1200 B.C.E. The poem itself is generally dated to the eighth or seventh century B.C.E. Two different centuries, about 400 years apart, and neither of them is “before the Jews.”

By 1200 B.C.E., when Odysseus was supposedly island-hopping his way home to Ithaca, the…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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Κατερίνα Αναγνώστου

This store in Oregon made a big mistake. The "Odyssey" was written around the 8th century BC, while the Jews already had a history from much earlier, from the time of Moses. How can a cinema manager confuse ancient history with politics?

Χρήστος Παππάς

I agree, Katerina, the admin got dates and politics completely mixed up. Moses is around 1300 BC, that is, even before the time of the Trojan war described by Homer. However, it makes me think how easily such mistakes are made when you put the agenda above the books.

Георгий Павлов

It's a shame that even a small movie theater in Oregon decided to play history, but in reality they just mixed dates and politics. According to the article, it turns out that the Trojan War is approximately 1200 BC, and Moses lived even earlier, around 1300. It turns out that the Jews were already there when Odysseus was just sailing home. Why hang up such a sign if even the school process is different?

Пётр Киселёв

I agree, Georgy, the dates are clearly mixed up here. Moses was somewhere in the 13th century BC, and the Trojan War was at the end of the 12th century, so the Jews already existed as a people. It’s unclear why he went into history if he just wanted to show his politics. When did you go through this yourself at school?

Светлана Новикова

I agree, Peter, the dates really don’t add up. Moses led the people out of Egypt around the same time that Troy fell, so the Jews were already there. But why the theater delved into ancient history in order to push through its politics is another question. Do you think you were good at it at school or just a master?

Ηλίας Καραγιάννης

Moses indeed around 1300 BC. that's a correct assessment, Christo, but the actual Jewish presence begins earlier with Abraham around 1800 BC. The point is that the administrator set a political agenda and got even the basics wrong. How do you see us correcting such confusions without becoming teachers?

Андрей Тарасов

Svetlana, accurately noted about Moses - according to the Bible, it turns out that the exodus from Egypt was right around 1300–1200 BC, so the Jews had long been a people. And this theater, it seems, just decided to get smart, but it turned out stupid and offensive. At school we did this normally, with dates and maps, but now many people apparently teach history using TikTok. Do you yourself think that such cinemas should even get involved in politics?

Надежда Морозова

Yes, Andrey, everything agrees with the dates according to Moses and the Exodus, but the theater simply exposed itself as illiterate. In our school in Samara, they also hung up maps and taught chronology, without any “subtle hints.” Would you go to such a cinema after this or avoid it?

Ελένη Κωνσταντίνου

I agree Elijah, Abraham is the real starting point around 1800 BC. and not Moses. The admin messed up dates to get his political point across, that's clear. How about we send him a short letter with the correct dates from the Old Testament?

Елена Васильева

I agree, Nadezhda, everything really fits with the dates according to Moses, but the theater simply showed that history was taught by headings. I wouldn’t go to such a cinema - not out of principle, but simply because after such a “subtle hint” I no longer want to spend the evening choosing them. In Samara, in what class did you take chronology?

Максим Васильев

I agree, Nadezhda, it really matches the dates according to Moses, but the theater simply showed that it confuses history with newspaper headlines. I would also avoid such a cinema - I don’t want to support a place where “subtle hints” are more important than facts. Do you still work with the same school cards in Samara or have you already updated them?

Наталья Соколова

Yes, Elena, in Samara we had it in the 6th grade, somewhere between Ancient Egypt and Greece. But I completely agree with the “subtle hint” of the theater - after this you don’t even want to watch the film, as if you had been drawn into some kind of discussion in advance.