Fringe Group to Picket Local Jewish Temples

The Westboro Baptist Church, a group best known for picketing military funerals, is planning to picket temples in Evanston and Skokie on Wednesday evening during Rosh Hashana eve services.

In a letter to the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Rabbi Brant Rosen said he does not know why the church will be protesting outside, but encouraged those attending the services to avoid engaging the group in any way.

"We regret that our members and guests will be greeted with a scene such as this, but it remains our desire to begin the High Holiday season in the spirit of dignity and celebration," Rosen wrote in the letter.  "We believe that the most appropriate and dignified response is to simply enter the sanctuary and celebrate the New Year together as joyfully as we do every year."

Rosh Hashana is the Jewish new year, and is one of the most important Jewish holidays.  The services for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are often the most crowded ones of the year.

Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, KS, has been known to display signs reading "Thank God For Dead Soldiers," "Pray For More Dead Soldiers," and "God Hates Israel." It also runs the websites Godhatesfags.com and GodhatesAmerica.com.

The Anti-Defamation League considers the Westboro Baptist Church a hate group, and says on its website that the group has "targeted dozens of Jewish institutions around the country, from Israeli consulates to synagogues to Jewish community centers, distributing anti-Semitic fliers to announce planned protests at these sites."

The group will also picket Wednesday in front of high holiday services at Northwestern University Hillel in Evanston as well as Temple Beth Israel and the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, both in Skokie.  Its members  will continue to picket throughout Skokie the following day.

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