Rabbi Urges Protest Of BlueClaws' Pride Night In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, NJ — An ultra-conservative rabbi's video blasting Pride Month celebrations by the Lakewood BlueClaws and the Ocean County Library has prompted plans for a protest on Thursday outside the stadium.

Flyers being circulated in Lakewood are urging residents to show up at FirstEnergy Park, Cedar Bridge Road and New Hampshire Avenue, at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, to protest the team's plan to hold Pride Night, which is set for Saturday, June 8.

"This abomination must stop!!! Come out and protest!!!" bold letters across the top of the flyer say. "Our children are already bombarded in schools/media/entertainment with terrible anti-family brainwashing. Gay Pride events at family venues like sporting events, bowling alleys, malls, shopping centers or even Ocean County College. Do not sexualize kids at public events!!"

Rabbi Yesuda Levin, an ultra-conservative rabbi who has been ardently anti-gay rights for decades, has posted three video messages urging the community to protest and criticizing BlueClaws officials for having Pride Night on a Saturday.

In one video, Levin calls team officials "lowlife scum" for holding Pride Night on Saturday, which is the Jewish Sabbath. In a second video, he criticizes the event at part of "the homosexualization of our community."

"These are not our community standards," said Levin, who ran against Ed Koch for mayor of New York City in 1985 as a vehemently anti-abortion and anti-gay rights candidate, the New York Times reported.

In an email to Patch, BlueClaws officials said Pride Night will go on as scheduled.

"We are committed to the idea that baseball is for everyone and all people are welcome at a BlueClaws game," the statement read. "It is unfortunate that some individuals are choosing to display intolerance rather than embrace the true spirit of the night. We look forward to BlueClaws Pride Night on Saturday."

"I feel it’s important to stress tolerance and understanding," Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said Tuesday. "Pride month is about inclusion and acceptance. Diversity should be celebrated. Our differences, collectively, should not make us enemies."

"I have been trying to stress that message," Billhimer said, referring to the "Love Thy Neighbor" messages that were being delivered across Ocean County by faith leaders the last two weeks. "I respect any group’s right to protest peacefully, but Pride Month is about raising awareness and improving the attitudes of society to encourage inclusiveness."

The BlueClaws website says Pride Night includes a Pride Night Cap (embroidered with a rainbow BlueClaws logo) giveaway for the first 1,500 fans, sponsored by Coca-Cola. Thursday night, the night of the protest, is the team's planned night to honor first responders.

Levin's message also criticized the Ocean County Library system's celebration of Pride Month at its branches, including its Lakewood branch. They include displays of books with LGBT characters, speakers and presentations, movie screenings and other events that are geared toward varying ages. The focus in the descriptions of the library system's planned events focus on tolerance and understanding.

Levin called the celebration "against the community standards." He was echoed in an opinion piece published on the website Greater Lakewood, which noted the county library system is funded in part by property taxes. "Many parents are unaware that a place promoting literacy and education is also promoting ideas against our morals. ... Why we are forced to pay for content that goes against our religion?" The article goes on to urge residents to complain to the Ocean County Board of Freeholders.

Voicemails left for Ocean County Library director Susan Quinn, Lakewood Mayor Raymond Coles, and the Anti-Defamation League of New Jersey were not answered. A message emailed to Garden State Equality seeking comment was not immediately answered.

An article posted on the Greater Lakewood website insists the protest is the idea of one man who "confirmed he wants to protest by himself. He does not need people nor does he need a crowd." The man also claims responsibility for the flyer and insists he was not inspired by Levin's videos.

Levin's initial video, which was shared by the First Amendment Activist Facebook page, operated by a Lakewood resident who speaks out frequently about activities within the township, is below.

In a follow-up video Levin posted to his YouTube channel, the rabbi repeats several of his comments from the first, going so far as to imply that politicians gave the BlueClaws a favorable leasing deal while "turning a blind eye as they flaunt their politically correct anti-Judeo-Christian" message pushing "anti-family values down our throat."

Levin appeals to U.S. Rep. Chris Smith and Catholic leaders, along with members of the community who are not Jewish, to join in the protest.

"Let's put aside our differences for this family values gathering," Levin said.

The flyer pushing the protest mimics some of the language in Levin's videos, including a statement that Pride Month events "are antithetical to our religious sensitivities."

"Additionally, we are a religious yeshiva town," the flyer says. "We protect our children from the aforementioned negative influences. Most of the township committee seats are held by Jewish religious representatives - how was this event approved for our community standards?? Why does Lakewood have to host a gay pride event at the Blueclaws on Shabbos night, June 8th? Brick, Toms River, Jackson and Howell have no such events at any of their venues."

The second Levin video is below, followed by the widely circulated flyer for the protest:

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