The last time I wrote a column backing Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah’s attacks, I received hate mail calling me a “house n—-r” for the Mossad. When I wrote a column questioning Mel Gibson’s Catholicism, I received an angry screed from a Long Island man belonging to the same Catholic sect as the actor. At the end of his letter, he wrote: THE JEWS DID KILL JESUS.

After this column, I will await more colorful snail mail and electronic epistles to add to my collection.

We’ve all heard about Mr. Gibson’s anti-Semitic tirade during his arrest in Malibu for driving under the influence. He has apologized twice and has asked the Jewish community to help him make amends for his despicable remarks.

Well, the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park has reached out, extending an invitation to Mr. Gibson to visit. In a letter to the actor, the museum director, David Marwell, said, “I have followed with great interest the events of the past several days and take your recent public apology very seriously.”

He’s not the only one following the story, which has divided Hollywood opinion about one of LaLa land’s major moneymakers. There are some who have jumped to conclusions about Mr. Gibson’s fall off the wagon — even I admit to doing so. It’s no secret that the actor’s father is a Holocaust denier and that Mr. Gibson has refused to criticize his beliefs. Therefore, like many others, I believed that his comments to the police officers merely exposed his deeply held convictions.

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough apparently felt the same. He and his producer, Mike Yarvitz, conducted an experiment to attempt to prove that Mr. Gibson’s real side emerged the night he was arrested. On the show, Mr. Yarvitz consumed enough liquor to bring his blood alcohol to the same level as Mr. Gibson’s — 0.12 on the breathalyzer. Mr. Scarborough then asked Mr. Yarvitz if he felt like yelling anti-Semitic remarks. Of course, he did not.

What an absolutely ridiculous experiment, I thought, before realizing I was making the same mistake in judging Mr. Gibson. What Mr. Scarborough failed to realize and what I had forgotten is that Mel Gibson is an alcoholic. Mr. Yarvitz is not, and the chasm between the two is too wide to make any such test valid.

Alcoholics in my family whom I know for a fact love me when they’re sober have called me awful names when they were drunk. Alcoholics suffer from big egos and low self-esteem. They loathe themselves, and when they are drunk they want everyone to loathe them just as much. Once-happy drunks inevitably become vicious as their disease progresses.

I don’t believe that Mr. Gibson is a true anti-Semite or that “The Passion of the Christ” is an anti-Semitic film. It was a film for Christians to understand and appreciate more fully the sacrifice of Jesus’s death, which had to happen. I do, however, believe that there exists a conflict between Mr. Gibson’s love for his father and his feelings about his father’s beliefs. Who knows? This may be a factor behind his drinking.

My biggest complaint is hearing reporters describe Mr. Gibson as a devout Catholic. How can you be a true Catholic and not believe in the authority of the Pope in the Vatican? I find it ironical that the Museum of Jewish Heritage will be hosting an exhibit in September celebrating Pope John Paul II’s outreach to the Jewish community. This great man promoted tolerance, brotherhood, and dialogue between the religions, and he genuinely loved his Jewish brethren. He also was a witness to the Holocaust that Gibson Senior denies.

Just because Mel Gibson is pro-life doesn’t mean he’s a Roman Catholic. His Catholic sect nominally rejects Vatican II, and during a television interview I heard Mr. Gibson make skeptical remarks about the pope’s authority. He also has said that he does not believe his wife can go to heaven because she is not a Catholic. Where did he learn that?

Nevertheless, it’s folly for the Jewish community to fear the rantings of a sick man. Far more damaging is the skillful art of a talented Jew like Steven Spielberg. Yes, he made “Schindler’s List,” but he also made “Munich.” How any Jew could equate the Israelis with Palestinian Arab terrorists is beyond me. Frankly, the Jewish people need more supporters of Israel in Hollywood. Right now, they happen to be Christians.

I hope that Mr. Marwell’s letter reaches Mr. Gibson. He also wrote,”We hope that you will consider this offer in good faith and look forward to the opportunity of participating in your journey of understanding.”

Yes, Mel, come to New York, visit the Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Come in September for the Pope John Paul II exhibit and learn what a real Catholic believes.