Nonno
09-28-2009, 06:23 PM
"A handful of hateful Midwesterner’s brought their anti-Semitic and anti-gay message to two Brownstone Brooklyn synagogues on Saturday — where they were met with anger, condemnation, and some old-fashioned chutzpah.
Though the events remained peaceful, members of the Westboro Baptist Church — a Kansas-based religious sect that regularly protests against Jews, gays, President Obama, fallen soldiers and just about everything else that Brooklynites know and love — tried as hard as they could to provoke passersby when they gathered in front Congregation Beth Elohim on Eighth Avenue in Park Slope and the Kane Street Synagogue in Cobble Hill in the midst of the Jewish high holy days.
“No mercy for the merciless — and get rid of those beanies!” shouted Shirley Phelps-Roper, one of the five Christian extremists who rallied across the street from Beth Elohim.
“Stop raping the little boys and obey God!” she screamed at the crowd of more than 100 congregants, neighbors and protesters, as well as about a dozen police officers and members of the press at the corner Garfield Place.
After arriving in Brooklyn last week and protesting in front of Brooklyn Technical HS on Thursday, the group intended to rally in front of three synagogues on Saturday, but the bigots never made it to Union Temple in Prospect Heights.
Instead, the Westboro demonstrators focused their efforts on the Park Slope and Cobble Hill synagogues, where they added anti-Semitic lyrics to the Israeli national anthem and Jewish songs like “Hava Nagila” while waving signs stating “Jews stole the land,” “Israel is doomed,” “You will eat your babies,” and “##### burger” (which, inexplicably, depicted a fetus served on a bun).
Despite their confrontational approach, controversial signage, and cruel language, the Kansans said they weren’t hateful.
“We are not in a rage — we’re just full of zeal,” said Timothy Phelps, 44, of Topeka, whose group has made headlines for protesting the funerals of military personnel, claiming that the soldiers’ deaths were dishonorable because they fought to defend a country that allows homosexuals to openly enjoy their sexuality.
The Christian extremists told The Brooklyn Paper that they targeted these specific temples “because they are the largest Jewish organizations in the area” and that they didn’t intend to convert anyone to their cause."
More at source: The Brooklyn Paper: Kansas bigotry falls flat at Brooklyn synagogues (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/39/32_39_bm_westboro_protests_saturday.html?comm=1)
Though the events remained peaceful, members of the Westboro Baptist Church — a Kansas-based religious sect that regularly protests against Jews, gays, President Obama, fallen soldiers and just about everything else that Brooklynites know and love — tried as hard as they could to provoke passersby when they gathered in front Congregation Beth Elohim on Eighth Avenue in Park Slope and the Kane Street Synagogue in Cobble Hill in the midst of the Jewish high holy days.
“No mercy for the merciless — and get rid of those beanies!” shouted Shirley Phelps-Roper, one of the five Christian extremists who rallied across the street from Beth Elohim.
“Stop raping the little boys and obey God!” she screamed at the crowd of more than 100 congregants, neighbors and protesters, as well as about a dozen police officers and members of the press at the corner Garfield Place.
After arriving in Brooklyn last week and protesting in front of Brooklyn Technical HS on Thursday, the group intended to rally in front of three synagogues on Saturday, but the bigots never made it to Union Temple in Prospect Heights.
Instead, the Westboro demonstrators focused their efforts on the Park Slope and Cobble Hill synagogues, where they added anti-Semitic lyrics to the Israeli national anthem and Jewish songs like “Hava Nagila” while waving signs stating “Jews stole the land,” “Israel is doomed,” “You will eat your babies,” and “##### burger” (which, inexplicably, depicted a fetus served on a bun).
Despite their confrontational approach, controversial signage, and cruel language, the Kansans said they weren’t hateful.
“We are not in a rage — we’re just full of zeal,” said Timothy Phelps, 44, of Topeka, whose group has made headlines for protesting the funerals of military personnel, claiming that the soldiers’ deaths were dishonorable because they fought to defend a country that allows homosexuals to openly enjoy their sexuality.
The Christian extremists told The Brooklyn Paper that they targeted these specific temples “because they are the largest Jewish organizations in the area” and that they didn’t intend to convert anyone to their cause."
More at source: The Brooklyn Paper: Kansas bigotry falls flat at Brooklyn synagogues (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/39/32_39_bm_westboro_protests_saturday.html?comm=1)