Temple Facing Foreclosure Asks Mel Gibson for Help
A temple in Southern California facing foreclosure has asked actor Mel Gibson, now infamous for his racist and anti-Semitic rants, to help them salvage their place of worship.
TMZ obtained a letter from Corona's Beth Shalom Congregation sent to Gibson, asking him for money to save their temple in exchange for a bit of redemption.
"Our proposal to you, Mr. Gibson, is since you have been cited as an Anti-Semitic, and have denied those allegations, what better way to prove to all your fans and the nay Sayers -- than to endorse and help raise funds for our cause -- SOS, Save Our Synagogue," part of the letter reads.
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"Mr. Gibson, we offer you to be a Mensch and make a sizable contribution to our cause," the letter concludes.
A representative from the temple responded to TMZ's claim that the congregation was trying to "shame" Gibson out of some money.
"We weren't trying to shame Mel Gibson into giving us money," the rep told TMZ. "We are approaching many celebrities and people of the community as well. We thought because of his situation he would be very much interested in supporting our cause."
In July of 2006, Gibson was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving in Los Angeles. He proceeded to bombard the arresting officer with anti-Semitic remarks.
The actor followed the public rampage with a stint in rehab.
In July 2010, "The Patriot" actor also berated his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, with prejudice comments during a heated telephone argument that went public.
A representative for the 56-year-old Academy Award winner told TMZ Gibson does not know about the temple's request but wishes the congregation all the best.
