Jerusalem Syndrome aside, what did you think of Israel when you were there?
Several characters are afflicted with "
Jerusalem Syndrome," a term used by Israeli psychiatrists to describe people who believe they must hasten the Savior's return.
For his one-man show and first theatre piece,
Jerusalem Syndrome, comic Marc Maron enlisted director Kirsten Ames, associate producer at the Westbeth Theatre Center (Ames also runs a workshop to help comics create fuller material).
He is now attempting a book on the
Jerusalem Syndrome, the phenomenon of religious mania in the Holy Land, but his effort is likely to result only in further confusion, since he remains unsure about his relation to the material.
Jerusalem Syndrome is an affliction that leads Holy Land visitors--such as "Elijah," the former San Franciscan pictured here--to believe they are messianic figures or otherwise fated to fulfill biblical prophecy.
The
Jerusalem syndrome is also being taken seriously, as pilgrims make their way to the holy city.
Another possible subject is a phenomenon known as "the
Jerusalem Syndrome"--a kind of religious mania that inspires some people to commit acts of violence in order to prepare for the coming of the true Messiah.
Jerusalem syndrome describes people found wandering the city with fantasies of participating in wondrous events.
It's not clear whether there really is such a thing as "
Jerusalem syndrome," the religious mania that supposedly afflicts some visitors to Jerusalem.
In the episode, Homer gets "
Jerusalem Syndrome" and believes that he is the Messiah.
The very proximity to the archetypal dimension is dangerous, "And God told Moses, Do not come any closer; take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground." Like those caught up in the
Jerusalem syndrome, there is an increased danger for the individual to identify with those greater forces, leading to a sense of personal inflation.
Lucas determines to collaborate on a book about people who suffer, and exult, from the
Jerusalem Syndrome, the belief (once they set foot in the Holy Land) that they are authentic prophets or messiahs reborn.
