The circus is coming to town!

Don't bring your kids for this one, but the circus is coming to town. Westboro Baptist Church, infamous for their anti-gay, anti-Jewish and generally hateful protests, is coming to New Jersey with its small but loud circus. The NJ Jewish News ran a story about it recently.

Such carnvials also seem to beg the same questions: Why does God create "freaks" like those who attract yet horrify us in the circus? And, how should we reasonably respond?

I'm less sure about the first question and its theological mysteries. The second question, however, is easier to address. There is a blessing to recite, as ArtScroll's Complete Siddur puts it, "upon seeing exceptionally strange-looking people," like circus freaks and Westboro Baptist Church members. We say, "Blessed are You, LORD our God, who makes the creatures different [mi-shaneh ha-bri-ot]."

Some Jewish communal leaders have taken this to heart and written thank you notes to the "church" and others have invited them to come protest outside their facilities. These leaders have cited the significant increase in member turnout for services and/or events that occur while the circus parades outside their building. As a rabbi who is always trying to find ways to engage my temple's members, I too want to thank Westboro for reminding me of a simple lesson: everyone loves a clown.

Seriously, though, you can find guidelines HERE from the ADL about to respond.