JOHN DANCY: There have been some major changes in one of Europe's best-known cultural events, the Passion Play at Oberammergau, Germany. The Bavarian village stages its elaborate performances every 10 years. They resumed this past week and will run through October. But this year the play has been revised and anti-Semitic references have been cut. Paul Miller reports.

PAUL MILLER: Passion plays, telling the story of the final days of Jesus' life, the crucifixion and the resurrection, go back 800 years and were common in Bavaria and the rest of Europe. Many were blatantly anti-Semitic, vilifying Jews and blaming them for the death of Jesus. Eventually, the plays fell into disfavor and all but disappeared. But in the small village of Oberammergau, tucked in an Alpine valley 50 miles southwest of Munich, the Passion Play remains a tradition that involves a cast of more than 2,000. Half the village spends a year producing the play.

Ms. URSULA BURKART (Actor): Everybody's mixed -- religion, tradition, social aspects -- but I think it's a part of it and we cannot imagine how it would be without the play.

MILLER: The play has been staged here for 366 years. It began during an outbreak of plague. Villagers hoped to ward off more deaths by promising God they would perform it. According to legend, the dying stopped.

The vow has been kept more or less on schedule, with two exceptions: 1770, when the Roman Catholic Church ordered an end to all Passion plays in Bavaria, only to later make an exception of Oberammergau, and 1940, because of World War II.

Traditionally, parts go only to those born and raised here, such as Ursula Burkart, or to those who have lived here at least 20 years. Until recently, only Catholics in good standing could participate. Bavaria is predominantly Catholic. Now the cast includes Protestants and Muslims. Over the years the productions and the theaters holding them became more elaborate. Today the audience of close to 5,000 per performance sits under a covered arch. The large stage is partly exposed to the elements.

Five hundred thousand people will come from all over the world to see the play, more than half from the United States. They will hear spoken and sung narration and see living tableaux of biblical scenes and dramatic action. It's in German -- translations are available -- and it lasts six hours, with a three-hour break for lunch. The producers say it is both theatrical and religious.

Mr. OTTO HUBER (Assistant Director): This kind of music and this kind of pictures and acting gives you a deeper understanding for some things than reading a religious book or something. It's really a special experience.

MILLER: Some Jewish groups say in past years the play was not special, it was horrifying in its depiction of Jews. There was a series of meetings between the producers and representatives of Jewish groups who also attended the opening performance to see changes that were made.

Mr. IRVING LEVINE (American Jewish Congress): We're completely satisfied with what they attempted to do. However, there are still problems, and we recognize these problems. They recognize these problems.