Westboro Goes To West Village; Target Of Scorn Scores!

Westboro Baptist Church has a long history of odious statements and pronouncements, including anti-gay and anti-Semitic slurs, and protesting the funerals of US service members killed in service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fred Phelps runs this church, and has at various times called American combat deaths God’s punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality.

They came to New York City over the weekend and protested outside a West Village synagogue which counts a significant gay and lesbian following.

Instead of buckling, the synagogue turned the protests in to a fundraising opportunity. Counterprotesters outnumbered the Westboro nuts by a significant margin. I don't think the Westboro protesters quite knew what was in store for them:

Leaders of Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, a West Village synagogue that caters to gays and lesbians, didn't want to ignore a planned visit by members of the rabidly anti-gay and anti-Semitic Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church.

Instead, they asked supporters to pledge a dollar or more for every minute that six protesters stood near their synagogue hurling epithets and holding signs that read "God Hates Fags" and "Jews Stole the Land."

The final haul after 50 minutes: $10,000.

"Their very presence will actually raise money for the mission of this community," said Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of the synagogue, which now holds services in rented space. "The synagogue wants a building so we're hoping this will help us get a building."

The Kansas church, known for picketing soldiers' funerals to say their deaths are God's punishment for Americans' tolerance of gays, has ramped up its demonstrations against Jews, who they say are sinners.

The group visited several New York synagogues and Jewish institutions over the weekend and planned to hit a Central Park celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tel Aviv.

When they arrived at Beth Simchat Torah, they found about 150 congregants from several synagogues and a nearby church as well as other supporters on the sidewalk singing Jewish songs and prayers.

I don't think the Westboro protesters quite knew what was in store for them, and the synagogue made out like bandits - raising $10,000 in just under an hour.