Fucking Cowards Leave Tracts on Yom Kippur

[GeoBQn]

Someone has been sticking tracts into the door handles of cars parked in my synagogue's parking lot during evening services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They have no name or phone number on them, and they have English and Hebrew verses for, I think, verses that Jews for Jesus use to try to prove that Jesus is the messiah. Not going to type them out completely, but the ones on the tract were:

Isaiah 53

Something from the Zohar about a righteous man who is "wounded for our transgressions"

Something from the Midrash on the story of Ruth where bread = royalty and vinegar = sufferings

Isaiah 9:6-7

Isaiah 7:14

Zechariah 12:10

Zechariah 9:9

Psalm 101

I hope he feels REAL FUCKING PROUD of himself. Leaving tracts under the cover of darkness, while everyone was in services and there was no one to argue with him.

I'm also annoyed that there wasn't better security. Where I grew up, synagogues usually had a police officer posted in the parking lot or near the door during services, and I think if that was in place here this wouldn't have happened.

[This comes on the heels of yesterday, when someone left brochures for Efrat--an Israeli anti-abortion organization I hate so much that seeing their materials makes my heart race and leaves me angry for a good hour. Not the way I wanted to start Yom Kippur.]

[Arete]

Gross. I hate to bring it up, but there is a possibility that these are being left by people who are actually attending your synagogue, and that is why they are able to fly under the radar in the parking lot. Either way, it is disgusting to proselytize on a sacred day with a captive audience.

[Jana814]

That's horrible!! My temple does not have a big parking lot so from what I know that has never happened. Granted I live in Northern New Jersery & people r pretty liberal/ open-minded where I am.

[GeoBQn]

My area has a small Jewish community, so I'd like to think that someone couldn't be a Jew for Jesus without the entire community finding out very quickly. Several weeks ago, we had an open house event that was public to the whole town to celebrate our new building. My first guess is the person attended the event and got ideas.

I obviously don't know if they were actually left by someone from Jews for Jesus, but run-of-the-mill fundies usually don't use Hebrew in their tracts.

[Arete]

That makes sense. I would raise hell to your synagogues Board of Directors or equivalent about the parking lot's security. Whoever these people were, they were able to wander around the parking lot free of constraint to pull off that wankery.

[GeoBQn]

I just joined the board, so I will definitely be bringing it up. Sometimes I'm surprised at how naive they are. My first board meeting was right before the open house. The organizers were talking excitedly about how they had invited all of members of the local consortium of houses of worship, then added, "We also have someone who is calling up every church that isn't part of the consortium!" I asked, "Is there any plan in place if someone comes who is trying to leave tracts, or gets argumentative and explains why we are wrong and going to Hell? Especially if you are calling all of these independent churches?" They were stunned. The thought had never occurred to them that someone might come and do that. They had already asked the police to drive by more frequently, but they decided if a person wasn't being violent they would just send them to the rabbi for "questions." Maybe FJ has made me pessimistic when it comes to this kind of thing, but I feel like people in my community should be more watchful of this.

[Peas n carrots]

If I lived in your area I would offer my security services. How I would love to tell the Jews for Jesus to fuck off.

My usual running route takes me past a temple, and when I ran past this AM they had 4 security personnel that I could see, plus the street (granted a dead end) is blocked off to traffic. Then again I live in a pretty liberal place and they are likely more worried about suspicious packages than random nutters leaving leaflets about.

DH (who works for a Jewish non-prophet) gets all kinds of stuff too, as well as the usual Aryan Nation/Nazi propaganda. Really, WTF is wrong with people. Can't they just leave other people the hell alone?

[RachelB]

Ugh. I'm sorry. That's seriously insulting and rude of whoever did that.

[Stephanie66]

Jewish non-prophet

I know it was unintentional, but hilarious!

[scc12]

I suppose it could be worse.At least they weren't stealing.My sister left her doors unlocked at church ,then acted astounded that her laptop and other things were easily stolen while she was in the service.

[Jana814]

My temple has suited guards at every door. You also need to have a ticket in order to get in.

[Abi]

Disgusting. There are some idiots out there.

[Anxious Girl]

Don't these Asshats for the Bible realize that 1 of the major points of being a Jew is NOT believing that Jesus was the messiah and son of God? I wonder how they would take it if Muslims handed out pamphlets to their church claiming that they were born Muslims and had to be reborn into the Muslim faith because they chose Christianity but all people were born Muslims.

[GeoBQn]

That reminds me of the Onion article "Jesus Converts to Islam." One of the effects is that it causes Jews for Jesus to split into three groups--Jews Still for Jesus, Jews for Islam, and Jews For Just Being Jews Again.

[rward]

That reminds me of the Onion article "Jesus Converts to Islam." One of the effects is that it causes Jews for Jesus to split into three groups--Jews Still for Jesus, Jews for Islam, and Jews For Just Being Jews Again.

That was the best article the Onion ever did!

Leaving tracts on cars parked for a Yom Kippur service is a special kind of rude.

[SPHASH]

My temple has suited guards at every door. You also need to have a ticket in order to get in.

Don't take this the wrong way but that doesn't sound very welcoming. What if a new Jewish family moved to town and wanted to attend services at your temple? I do agree that leaving tracts during a Yom Kippur service is disrespectful.

[GeoBQn]

A lot of synagogues charge for tickets to raise money for the rest of the year. It can be a mess. My family used to go to my aunt's synagogue every year because it was in walking distance from their house. Then after the recession started, they raised the prices so sharply that the family couldn't afford to get tickets for everyone. When I moved to my current area, I was so shocked to hear that my new synagogue didn't even do tickets for the High Holidays because that was how every synagogue where I grew up did it.

[rosamundi]

It's stupid behaviour. I have experienced something similar - coming out of the Easter Vigil Mass to find that people are either handing out Chick tracts outside the church or they have put them under the windscreen wipers of the cars in the car park (I don't drive, I ended up with three in my bike's basket).

The person who handed me one outside church got it handed straight back with "I've read that one, do you have any others?" the look on his face made me laugh out loud - "she's read one of these miraculous, Bible-believing tracts and she's still in thrall to the Whore of Rome? how is this possible?!?"

Some nasty, nasty little bastard leaves them in the literature rack in a cloistered monastery I visit occasionally.

[GawkingToo]

The armed guards part is because any large gathering of Jews poses special security/terrorism concerns; they're not just there as bouncers to keep out people without tickets. Even at the very small service I went to, there was a uniformed police officer at the door the entire time and my bag was searched before I was allowed in. My mom was telling me at her (much larger) synagogue, there were multiple police officers and they were doing bag checks there too. She said said this year they were checking people's photo IDs, too. She said an old lady arrived with a ticket but not a photo ID and she wasn't let in until someone vouched for her. I don't know if the situation in Syria has people extra nervous, but that was a lot of precautions even for my mom's congregation.

The tickets, though, I'm against. I think it just kind of reinforces bad stereotypes and I'm always embarrassed when I have to explain the practice to non-Jews.

Don't take this the wrong way but that doesn't sound very welcoming. What if a new Jewish family moved to town and wanted to attend services at your temple? I do agree that leaving tracts during a Yom Kippur service is disrespectful.

[gypsygirl22]

Question...is there a difference between a synagogue and a temple?

[sparkles]

Between my freelancing and my 9-5 job, I do work for about 10 synagogues, including several on Long Island, a couple of large Chabads and two very well known congregations in NYC. In all cases, they have some kind of full-time security which is increased for the High Holy Days, because it's an unfortunate preemptive necessity. At least three of the LI synagogues have experienced vandalism on the High Holy Days, even with police patrolling the streets. So while it's not exactly welcoming to see guards, it's understandable.

As far as tickets go, almost all of the synagogues I deal with do require them but they're free of charge as long as you're a paid-up member. They will charge for extra tickets if you want them for non-members but considering how jam-packed things are for the biggies, I kind of get it. They all will also make financial accommodations for people who need it and several of them also offer free tickets for new residents, and gift memberships in a couple of cases, as a way to attract new members. (I received free-of-charge invitations from 3 of my clients, which I very politely declined.)

It's just a fact of synagogue life that they have to charge for just about everything because that's how they stay afloat. There's no central governing body dispensing funds so every time members turn around they're getting hit up for something. I'm sure it does get overwhelming and annoying but there's really no other way to keep going. Even the synagogues I do work for that have wealthy congregations (and we're talking seriously wealthy--like sports-team owning, concert hall naming, college endowing wealthy) always seem to be on the financial edge.

[MandyLaLa]

I'm honestly shocked your Temple doesn't have better security for the high holy days. I live in a town with a VERY large Jewish population, we have over 10 synangoguges and the premier Hebrew private school. Public schools close for the holidays, it's a very tolerant environment. But my temple has ALWAYS, had a security, we have parking lot attendants who ask for your ticket on your way into the lot and then your ticket is asked for again at the entry. They wear plain clothes, but the don't fuck with us message is crystal clear.

[PennySycamore]

Question...is there a difference between a synagogue and a temple?

I'm not Jewish and I'm sure that I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, but the term "temple" is used by Reform and some Conservative Jews for their synagogues. Orthodox Jews do not call their synagogues temples, however. It's really just a matter of which branch of Judaism you belong to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churches_of_Christ

[Stephanie66]

I suppose it could be worse.At least they weren't stealing.My sister left her doors unlocked at church ,then acted astounded that her laptop and other things were easily stolen while she was in the service.

My physical therapist had her purse and planner stolen from her car in church. They tossed her cell phone back in the seat, though. :lol:

[theologygeek]

Someone has been sticking tracts into the door handles of cars parked in my synagogue's parking lot during evening services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They have no name or phone number on them, and they have English and Hebrew verses for, I think, verses that Jews for Jesus use to try to prove that Jesus is the messiah. Not going to type them out completely, but the ones on the tract were:

Isaiah 53

Something from the Zohar about a righteous man who is "wounded for our transgressions"

Something from the Midrash on the story of Ruth where bread = royalty and vinegar = sufferings

Isaiah 9:6-7

Isaiah 7:14

Zechariah 12:10

Zechariah 9:9

Psalm 101

I hope he feels REAL FUCKING PROUD of himself. Leaving tracts under the cover of darkness, while everyone was in services and there was no one to argue with him.

I'm also annoyed that there wasn't better security. Where I grew up, synagogues usually had a police officer posted in the parking lot or near the door during services, and I think if that was in place here this wouldn't have happened.

[This comes on the heels of yesterday, when someone left brochures for Efrat--an Israeli anti-abortion organization I hate so much that seeing their materials makes my heart race and leaves me angry for a good hour. Not the way I wanted to start Yom Kippur.]

Do you suffer from anger issues? lol Just kidding around. Well, sort of. It's no big deal, and certainly nothing to stay angry at for an hour. Just throw the material out if you don't want it.