Oregon theater’s ‘Odyssey’ marquee sparks Jewish community backlash

When the Lake Theater & Café in Lake Oswego, Oregon, rolled out its new marquee to coincide with Christopher Nolan’s big‑budget adaptation of The Odyssey, the message it chose to flash was, at best, puzzling. The sign read, “Before there were the Jews, there was The Odyssey,” a line that quickly ignited a firestorm on social media and in the surrounding community.

At first glance the wording might have seemed like a goofy attempt at humor, a nod to the ancient Greek epic that Nolan was about to bring to the silver screen. In reality, however, the phrasing proved both historically off‑base and, to many, needlessly provocative.

Scholars generally place Homer’s poems in the eighth or seventh century BCE—centuries before the earliest documented presence of the Jewish people in the historical record. “It’s historically inaccurate. That’s the first piece,” said Rabbi Eve Posen of Congregation Neveh Shalom in nearby Portland. She added that the joke, whether intentional or not, felt out of step with the heightened sensitivity surrounding anti‑Semitic rhetoric these days.

The backlash didn’t stay confined to academic circles. Within hours of the sign going live, the theater’s Instagram and X accounts were flooded with comments ranging from bewildered to outraged. West Linn resident Abby Farber, who wrote directly to the theater, summed up a common sentiment: “If it’s an attempt at humor, it completely missed the mark and felt hurtful.”

According to OregonLive, the theater responded by taking down one side of the marquee on Thursday, yet the offending phrase remained visible on the opposite side into Friday. Managers later issued a brief statement apologizing for any offense caused and promised a review of their promotional practices.

Local Jewish organizations, including the Portland Jewish Community Center, called for a more thoughtful approach to public messaging, especially in a climate where hate crimes against Jews have been on the rise nationwide. “We understand that marketing teams sometimes push boundaries,” said community leader David Levy, “but we ask that they consider the broader impact of their words before they go public.”

Meanwhile, patrons of the theater seemed divided. Some defended the marquee as a harmless joke, while others walked out, citing the sign as evidence of insensitivity. The episode has become a small but vivid reminder that even a simple billboard can stir broader conversations about history, identity, and the responsibilities of public venues.

As the theater continues to show Nolan’s rendition of the mythic voyage, the community watches closely, hoping the controversy will prompt a more inclusive dialogue rather than simply fading into the background of another movie night.