POP/ROCK - Jan. 3, 1991

Justify the Brouhaha: A remixed version of Madonna’s “Justify My Love” CD single has come under fire from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which charges that the recording (“The Beast Within” mix) promotes anti-Semitic sentiments. “This song is dangerous and an insult to every Jew,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Jewish organization’s associate dean. “What you have here is the icon of American pop culture, for whatever reason, zeroing in on the most notorious anti-Semitic quote in the New Testament to market to her fans.” The Jewish group objects to a passage in the remix culled from the New Testament’s Book of Revelation that says: “And the slander of those who say they are Jews, but they are not, they are a synagogue of Satan.” Warner Bros., Madonna’s record company, would not comment on the controversy.