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By Donald H. Harrison
 SAN DIEGO—Planned picketing on Friday by members of the so-called Westboro Baptist Church at a variety of synagogues and Jewish institutions in San Diego has prompted the Anti-Defamation League to recommend that people who see the protesters simply “walk on by.” Most, but not all, affected Jewish organizations and community members say they plan to follow that advice.
Morris Casuto, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the Westboro group—which is not affiliated with any of the official Baptist organizations—appears to feed on publicity generated by any confrontations they may provoke. So, he said, ADL’s official advice is to simply ignore the protesters who probably will stay at each site for only a short time and then move on.
The Westboro group, led by Fred Phelps, has notified news media that its members plan to stand with signs outside a variety of institutions on Friday including a school, churches, synagogues, and Jewish institutions.
Jewish sites on the group’s list of picketing targets in Kearny Mesa are the offices of the San Diego Jewish Journal; the combined offices of the United Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation; the main administrative offices of Jewish Family Service, and Congregation Dor Hadash. In Carlsbad, the announced site for picketing will be Chabad of La Costa.
Phone calls to the San Diego Jewish Journal, United Jewish Federation, Congregation Dor Hadash and Jewish Family Service revealed that officials at these organizations plan to resolutely follow Casuto’s advice, recognizing that however offensive the messages on the Westboro group’s picket signs may be, they will fall under constitutional guarantees of free speech.
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Casuto said local law enforcement are well aware of Westboro’s plans and anticipate having police units at all the announced sites. Westboro has staged similar demonstrations around the country, and has shown itself to be a group which is non-violent, but ready to go to court to seek damages in the event their signs prompt any violence or infringement of their free speech rights.
Carol Davidson Baird, who is well known as both a Jewish genealogist and as an active member of the San Digo Jewish community, has sent out emails to friends and organizations calling for counter-demonstrations. In a phone interview, she said she understood Casuto’s reasoning but believe Jews should remember the history of Germany during the days of the Weimar Republic.
At that time, she said, people counseled ignoring rather than confronting the Nazi party—allowing the party to spread its virulent message of hatred.
Asked what form she believed counter-demonstrations should take, Baird said she was not certain, but hoped that email traffic between herself and other concerned Jews would generate appropriate responses.
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort, spiritual leader of Chabad of La Costa, said he hopes to counter the negativity of the Westboro group with positive messages that passersby can reflect upon. While not planning to physically confront the Westboro pickets, Eilfort said his congregation may place banners on the synagogue building with messages calling for the speedy arrival of Mashiach (the messiah), and also publicizing the dedication on Jan. 10 of a Torah rescued from the Holocaust that once had been owned by a congregation in Karslbad, Czech Republic.
Chabad at La Costa is the closest synagogue to the La Costa Country Club, where national leaders of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee plan to gather later in the weekend. Eilfort said he was told by police that his shul’s plans to host for Shabbat services out of town visitors who plan to attend the AIPAC gathering may have been a motivation for the Westboro group to focus on Chabad.
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