Westboro Baptist Church in Park Slope this weekend!!!!!!!
THESE ASSHOLES ARE BRINGING THEIR FILTH TO OUR HOOD.
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/38/32_38_gk_beth_elohim_protest.html
We received this letter late on Tuesday night from Rabbi Andy Bachman at Congregation Beth Elohim on Eighth Avenue in Park Slope and felt it was important enough to get online immediately.
Check BrooklynPaper.com later in the day for a fully reported story:
Dear Friends,
On Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9:45 am–10:15 am, Congregation Beth Elohim will be picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church, an extremist anti-Semitic, anti-gay independent church based out of Topeka, Kansas.
They plan to send representatives who will stand on our sidewalk displaying disturbing signs and provoking those entering our building. They try to create enough confrontation to incite others to provocation. It is their constitutional right to picket.
Congregation Beth Elohim does not welcome this group’s message or actions in any way. Our focus and mission as a community is to build an inclusive Jewish community that celebrates the strength of diversity. It is a home for individuals and families of all backgrounds to grow and to learn and to care about and deepen their connections to one another.
We have clear priorities during difficult moments such as these. Protecting our members and visitors, and most importantly our children, is a primary goal. Our internal security team is already in action and local police authorities have been alerted. Although you are entitled to your right to free speech, we ask that you calmly pass these protesters and walk directly into our building without incident. For more information about the Westboro Baptist and for educational materials about responding to hate groups, please download a PDF provided by the Anti-Defamation League.
Congregation Beth Elohim is an amazing community in that it is a warm and welcoming place. This group will be picketing us because of our commitment to those who desire community. Though Saturday may be upsetting, it is important to remember that our precious values are truly a source of great pride. Our best and only response is to conduct ourselves as usual.
And this Shabbat we have so much to celebrate: Natalie Chertoff becomes Bat Mitzvah; Shir l’Shabbat and Yachad meet in a wonderful, family learning and Shabbat atmosphere; Rabbi Emeritus Weider celebrates the 50th anniversary of his own Bar Mitzvah in the Lay-Led Minyan; and Alt-Shul is hosting its bi-monthly traditional minyan. Truly a diverse and celebratory Shabbat worthy of our values of openness and celebration as one community!
Let’s focus our energy and attention on making this truly a Shabbat Shalom at Congregation Beth Elohim.
May you all be blessed for another year of life, tolerance, and well-being.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Andy Bachman
Elana Paru, executive director
David Kasakove, president
©2009 The Brooklyn Paper
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/38/32_38_gk_beth_elohim_protest.html
We received this letter late on Tuesday night from Rabbi Andy Bachman at Congregation Beth Elohim on Eighth Avenue in Park Slope and felt it was important enough to get online immediately.
Check BrooklynPaper.com later in the day for a fully reported story:
Dear Friends,
On Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9:45 am–10:15 am, Congregation Beth Elohim will be picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church, an extremist anti-Semitic, anti-gay independent church based out of Topeka, Kansas.
They plan to send representatives who will stand on our sidewalk displaying disturbing signs and provoking those entering our building. They try to create enough confrontation to incite others to provocation. It is their constitutional right to picket.
Congregation Beth Elohim does not welcome this group’s message or actions in any way. Our focus and mission as a community is to build an inclusive Jewish community that celebrates the strength of diversity. It is a home for individuals and families of all backgrounds to grow and to learn and to care about and deepen their connections to one another.
We have clear priorities during difficult moments such as these. Protecting our members and visitors, and most importantly our children, is a primary goal. Our internal security team is already in action and local police authorities have been alerted. Although you are entitled to your right to free speech, we ask that you calmly pass these protesters and walk directly into our building without incident. For more information about the Westboro Baptist and for educational materials about responding to hate groups, please download a PDF provided by the Anti-Defamation League.
Congregation Beth Elohim is an amazing community in that it is a warm and welcoming place. This group will be picketing us because of our commitment to those who desire community. Though Saturday may be upsetting, it is important to remember that our precious values are truly a source of great pride. Our best and only response is to conduct ourselves as usual.
And this Shabbat we have so much to celebrate: Natalie Chertoff becomes Bat Mitzvah; Shir l’Shabbat and Yachad meet in a wonderful, family learning and Shabbat atmosphere; Rabbi Emeritus Weider celebrates the 50th anniversary of his own Bar Mitzvah in the Lay-Led Minyan; and Alt-Shul is hosting its bi-monthly traditional minyan. Truly a diverse and celebratory Shabbat worthy of our values of openness and celebration as one community!
Let’s focus our energy and attention on making this truly a Shabbat Shalom at Congregation Beth Elohim.
May you all be blessed for another year of life, tolerance, and well-being.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Andy Bachman
Elana Paru, executive director
David Kasakove, president
©2009 The Brooklyn Paper
Comments
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I was just getting ready to post this!
I think the Rabbi's letter is a perfect response, and I hope the community is able to ignore these idiots. While I'm not Jewish, I'm really tempted to attend services just to make the point that these dumb hicks matter not at all.
The most important point is this: do not react to these bozos...it's what they're loking for. -
Does that mean pelting them with eggs is wrong?
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Yup, unfortunately. I wonder where they're staying, though....
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Well, that's lousy. Thx for posting.
fyi, Westboro has a habit of announcing stuff to get attention, and then not showing up. In Park Slope they would certainly be outnumbered...
On Thursday, Westboro is scheduled to "march on" the UN, then the Jewish Theological Seminary, 92Y, and Bklyn Tech HS. They are so nuts!
http://www.godhatesfags.com/schedule.html -
Thanks for posting. This group is absolutly NUTS!
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Which one is Beth Elohim? Where is it?
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Wow, I saw the documentary about this family on HBO...its available on Netflix if anyone is interested. Its fascinating but horrifying at the same time. They do indeed deliberately try to rile up passerbys. The best to do is just ignore them, as impossible as that may seem when you hear/see how disgustingly hateful and self-righteous they are.
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Flexichick wrote: Which one is Beth Elohim? Where is it?
Garfield & 8th -
It's a pity we can't have a stoning in effigy. In addition to Westboro Baptist Church, we could stone Kadhafi and Ahmadinejad. Maybe someone could sell beards and stones, I've got a beard but I could use two flats, two points and a packet of gravel.
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So what I'm thinking is that we all get a bunch of bedsheets and stand in front of them, tons and tons of us blocking them. Then we make some sort of white noise so they can't interrupt some kid's bar mitzvah. No counterprotesting, no yelling back at them (they're so far gone, and they LOVE being screamed at). Just a peaceful, effective counterprotest.
My Jewish husband is devastated. -
double post
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blinktoe wrote: So what I'm thinking is that we all get a bunch of bedsheets and stand in front of them, tons and tons of us blocking them. Then we make some sort of white noise so they can't interrupt some kid's bar mitzvah. No counterprotesting, no yelling back at them (they're so far gone, and they LOVE being screamed at). Just a peaceful, effective counterprotest.
They did the angel wings protest at Matthew Shephard's funeral in Wyoming, that was pretty effective.
My Jewish husband is devastated. -
bohuma wrote: [quote=blinktoe]So what I'm thinking is that we all get a bunch of bedsheets and stand in front of them, tons and tons of us blocking them. Then we make some sort of white noise so they can't interrupt some kid's bar mitzvah. No counterprotesting, no yelling back at them (they're so far gone, and they LOVE being screamed at). Just a peaceful, effective counterprotest.
They did the angel wings protest at Matthew Shephard's funeral in Wyoming, that was pretty effective.
My Jewish husband is devastated.
Cool! My husband just pointed out that we'd need to hold the sheets higher than their signs, so probably on broom handles. -
Flexichick wrote: Which one is Beth Elohim? Where is it?
Beth Elohim is Garfield Temple.
I have never heard of this group, their agenda is purely anti-Jew? is that why they are going to Beth Elohim? Will have to read up more on them. I bet Beth Elohim could get some of the churches in the area on their side too
HOLY SHIT! I just checked out their website! What a bunch of nutjobs!! OMG! They aren't even a real Baptist church, just a bunch of whackos, holy moly! Obama is the anti-Christ? Wow, I don't even know what to say about this. Sick, sick, sick! -
LongTimeSloper wrote: [quote=Flexichick]Which one is Beth Elohim? Where is it?
Beth Elohim is Garfield Temple.
I have never heard of this group, there agenda is purely anti-Jew? is that why they are going to Beth Elohim? Will have to read up more on them. I bet Beth Elohim could ge3t some of the churches in the area on their side too
Mostly they hate homosexuals, but apparently they also hate Italians. I guess they are focusing on Beth Elohim because it is an inclusive congregation that welcomes all family structures. Wikipedia has a fairly extensive entry on this hate group.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church -
on their website, they are going off about bat mitzvahs and such, lots of gay bashing and jew hating on their own website.
They also hate Italians? Wow, they got me on two counts then, LOL
off to read wikipedia -
I'm not gay, Jewish or Italian and this stuff pisses me off to no end
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I had to stop reading the wikipedia entry, it was making me physically ill
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I read thru the wikipedia and although disgusting makes some points - there are two options to counter this horrific group - either ignore them or drown them out. I think that they are publicity seeking cowards and the best defense might be a very strong offense. If representatives from all the groups that they hate send even one or two people they would be outnumbered. PFLAG, GLBT, religious groups - the key is get the WORD OUT.
As an Italian Catholic and member of PFLAG I am outraged. -
I loved the response of white sheets being held up. That, and a steady stream of applause and cheers as people come in and out would be nice.
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<---- shakes head as the crazy group gets exactly what it wants.
You do realize that Klan marches would not get news coverage if 10000 people didn't show up to protest 12 fools in sheets. right? -
whynot_31 wrote: <---- shakes head as the crazy group gets exactly what it wants.
Which is why the congregation have asked people to ignore them. Yes we have the right of free speech to counter these loonies, but we'd be giving them the publicity they so crave. I think I will respect the wishes of the congregation and stay away.
You do realize that Klan marches would not get news coverage if 10000 people didn't show up to protest 12 fools in sheets. right?
I'd still like to stone them in effigy in Prospect Park though. -
Whynot and Bohuma - I see your point. And I will respect the wishes of the congregation - but it makes me violently ill that they will be able to ruin someone's special day and just continue to spew their venom. Yeah, yeah, yeah - first amendment and all that - but if any one group deserved a beat down - its this one. Which would play right into their way of thinking - but BLECCHH.
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It's encouraging to see that "hating people who hate" is the norm.
...but their tactics are no different than the Klan marching down Martin Luther King Blvd.
Fools fight with fools. The rest move to the next subway car. -
I've belonged to Beth Elohim for decades now, but rarely if ever attend Saturday morning services.
I will attend this Saturday morning, solely to present a (somewhat) dignified counterpoint to the idiots from Westboro.
They are their own worst enemy... they actually prove that Darwin was right, man is descended from the apes. Clearly, they are the missing link! -
LongTimeSloper wrote: on their website, they are going off about bat mitzvahs and such, lots of gay bashing and jew hating on their own website.
they hate everything except publicity. they picket the funerals of soldiers (regardless of the soldier's identity, religious or otherwise) because soldiers' deaths are god's punishment for our evil country not hating gays enough. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_baptist#Funeral_pickets
They also hate Italians? Wow, they got me on two counts then, LOL
off to read wikipedia
really winning folks, all around.
...at least one of the family members has seen the light: http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2009/09/audio-libby-eration.html -
Ignore them. They'll go away, it sound like after a half hour.
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They're going to protest at Brooklyn Tech when classes are dismissed tmw? That should go well for them.
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henrycurtis wrote: Ignore them. They'll go away, it sound like after a half hour.
I read the stuff the Anti-Defamation League posted about them http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/WBC/default.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=3&item=WBC and it sounds like ignoring them (and certainly not giving them anything that would make for good TV footage) is exactly the right thing to do. -
protesting back at them or attempting to drown them out is exactly what they want you to do. it makes the assembly larger and hence more media coverage and more ways for them to get their message of hate out. plus, the temple has asked for them to be ignored. i hope you heed that advice.
just leave them be. hopefully they all fall in a puddle of aids on the way back to topeka.
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