Posted on 12/11/2006 8:14:08 AM PST by beaversmom
There’s an outrageous story out of Seattle (my home base) that shows the way that good intentions can occasionally produce disgusting results. Because of the prevailing climate of political correctness, a decent guy and honorable clergyman looks like a horse’s rear end and has provoked appropriate indignation from millions of people.
According to misleading news stories featured prominently in newspapers and on TV (including KING 5 TV News): “All 15 Christmas trees inside the main terminal at Sea Tac Airport (Seattle-Tacoma International) have been removed in response to a complaint by a rabbi. A rabbi wanted to install an eight-foot menorah and have a public lighting ceremony. He threatened to sue if the menorah wasn’t put up and gave a two day deadline to remove the trees.”
Who is this wretched rabbi who, apparently, wanted to spoil the holiday joy of his Christian neighbors out of pique and selfishness simply because he didn’t get the right to erect his own Hanukah display?
As a matter of fact, I know and like Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, the now notorious clergyman at the center of this swirling controversy. He’s a good guy, a young father of five (including new-born twins), and the son-in-law of the wonderful Rabbi at the synagogue I attend each week. I know that Rabbi Bogomilsky harbors no animus whatever toward Christians or Christmas. In fact he told the Seattle Times that he felt “appalled” by the airport’s decision to remove all its Christmas trees without warning on Saturday night. According to Rabbi Bogomilsky, “Everyone should have their spirit of the holiday. For many people the trees are the spirit of the holidays, and adding a menorah adds light to the season.” According to the rabbi’s lawyer, Harvey Grad, “They’ve darkened the hall rather than turning the lights up.”
I spoke to Rabbi Bogomilsky less than a hour ago and he may join me on my radio show tomorrow to apologize to the community at large for the totally unintended consequences of his desire to include a large menorah along with the airport’s holiday decorations (according to various stories there were either 22, or 15, or 9 different Christmas trees before the airport cleared them away in the dead of night). When I asked the rabbi directly whether he would want the trees removed if the airport refused to put up his menorah he insisted, “Absolutely not.” He has no problem with the Christmas trees, which have brought seasonal joy to the airport (and provoked no complaints) for more than a decade. He would greatly prefer that the airport restore the trees – even if they fail to include the requested menorah alongside the seasonal greenery. In fact, another local rabbi and close personal friend, Daniel Lapin, has begun soliciting Jewish signatures on a petition to demand the return of the trees – and we will gladly recruit Jewish volunteers to provide free labor if that would help get the job done.
Those of us who are comfortable and secure in our own religiosity (which would surely include the rigorously observant Rabbi Bogomilsky) don’t feel threatened by public displays of faith by our Christian neighbors. Generally, it’s secular fanatics (of both Jewish and Christian background), militant separationists, who have waged war on Christmas trees, ten commandments monuments, crosses, and other benign symbols of the nation’s religious heritage.
So what went wrong with this whole miserable affair?
After two months of indecision from the Port of Seattle (the quasi-governmental agency that runs the airport) concerning the request for a menorah, the rabbi’s lawyer made the mistake (yes, it was a mistake) of threatening a federal lawsuit and the airport people panicked and ordered the removal of the trees. “We’re not in the business of offending anyone and we’re not eager to get into a federal lawsuit with anyone,” said Craig Watson, chief lawyer for the Port of Seattle. Patricia Davis, head of the Port Commission said, “We didn’t have other cultures represented and rather than scramble around to find representations of other cultures at this late date, we decided to take them down and consider it later.”
This is ridiculous, of course. “Other cultures” do not observe popular holidays at precisely this time (the Islamic month of Ramadan is over) and in thousands of public and private locations across the country the abundant, prominent and very beautiful Christmas decorations are harmlessly complemented (if hardly balanced) by menorahs.
Of course, in the current climate of hyper-sensitivity regarding public expressions of religious commitment, Rabbi Bogomilsky and Harvey Grad should have avoided the chilling, unnecessary phrase “law suit” at all costs --- even if the Port of Seattle refused to give them a timely answer on their menorah request. As a result of the threatened litigation, the whole world is witnessing a horrible situation in which the religious enthusiasm (however well intended) of one individual has led to the removal of decorations enjoyed by literally hundreds of thousands.
In addition to apologizing to those masses, and working conscientiously to restore the Christmas trees, I hope that Rabbi Bogomilsky and his colleagues in the sincere and warm-hearted Chabad-Hasidic movement in Judaism will reconsider their menorah strategy next winter. They’ve already succeeded in magnificent terms in installing some 6,000 highly visible menorahs in public places across the country (including, by the way, the Washington State Capitol in Olympia) – and even at unlikely sites like Red Square in Moscow. This is a singular, even inspriring, achievement. If, however, local authorities prove unwilling to accommodate the menorahs, it’s a terrible idea to try to force their hands by comparing our candelabra to Christmas trees or wreaths or Santa Claus effigies already in place.
Though some of my fellow Jews may howl in protest when I say so, there are strong arguments to be made against public menorahs that can’t be made against Christmas trees. It’s not just that Christians outnumber us in this society by about 40 to 1; it’s that Christmas trees reasonably can be construed as a secular symbol but a menorah (despite some prior court decisions) emphatically cannot. The eight-branched “Hanukiah” or “Menorah” that we light every year for the holiday specifically recalls the seven-branched menorah that was a sacred element in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem up till 70 A.D. Though the big menorahs with bulbs that are prominently displayed in public places are not, strictly speaking, sacramental objects (because they don’t use candles or oil), they distinctly resemble the smaller menorahs we use at home and over which we recite blessings (citing the Almighty, of course) every night of the holiday. In fact, the chief mitzvah (holy commandment) of the Hanukah holiday requires the lighting of these candelabra and reciting the blessings, so it’s deeply misleading or, at best, a stretch, to call the menorah a secular symbol. Christians do not routinely pronounce blessings or recite prayers over Christmas trees.
This doesn’t mean that I think that menorahs should come down from public places: they belong in parks and plazas and airports, shedding the light of their message, but so do nativity scenes and other holiday symbols that bear unmistakably religious trappings. When the founders prohibited “an establishment of religion” they did not mean to banish all faith-based imagery from the public square.
Nor, for that matter, did Rabbi Bogomilsky mean to banish Christmas decorations from the Seattle airport.
Spokespeople for the Port of Seattle say they’re “not in the business of offending anyone,” but when did Rabbi Bogomilsky ever say, or even imply, that he was offended by Christmas trees? As a matter of fact, he welcomes the trees, as do I, as do all people of good will – Jewish and Christian alike.
What offended the rabbi and should offend all of us is the banning of religious symbols, not their presence. The airport may not be “in the business of offending anyone” but they’ve just offended just about everyone with their stubborn, wrong-headed, and utterly misguided decision.
For what should the Rabbi apologize, did he remove the trees? Or should he appologize for asking for a Menorah?
What form should the apology take, if one is needed?
Demands? Did you even attempt to read what Medved wrote. If you did, my sympathies about your learning disability. And your other problems.
I'm with you. When does your revolution start? Ping me when it's time! I'm in 100%!!
We don't live in a theocracy. Whatever happened to letting people coexisting peaceably in their religious or non-religious ways???
Me? Out of the seven or eight or nine threads that have been posted already on this incident, I DID NOT POST A SINGLE ONE OF THEM!
He goes around giving away 9 ft menorahs as part of their outreach and had not had any problems before. I heard him on Kirby show in Seattle this morning.
I just read up even more.
The Yule log was a sacrifice to Thor. Something about the winter solstice and a spark for the new year.
Ah, so Christian, these traditions. Makes me all cozy inside.
Uh huh, right. He's worried about anger directed at Jewish folks over this. There were follow up reports that if the trees went back up, he would continue his lawsuit.
He also explained that their lawyer sent a letter explaining how the Port could display the menorah and it would be within the USSC decisions regarding secular displays , and then the Port decided to bail out of it rather than think it through.
Liberal Jews will get us all killed one day.
Ironic for a FreeRepublic thread.
Medved ( usually a favorite on FR )and what he quotes the Rabbi as saying- they he did not intend this result, is mortified, and would like it reversed- are not being believed.
The Media reportage is being believed.
"Christmas" became your season after the Catholic Church realized that they couldn't fight the pagan rituals that the people clung to. I'm more than happy to share this time of the year with Christians who want to borrow from those traditions. Just don't claim them as yours only. Thank you!
I love it! Thanks
I believe Michael that the Rabbi started this with good intentions. Unfortunately, the genie, er, the lawyer is out of the bottle. Even if he backs off, once the threat was there to file a federal lawsuit, someone else will do it.
And why shouldn't he continue his lawsuit to have a display of a Menorah.
You know how Christians always say that they have the right to proselytize- even where unwanted- because it is a religious mandate, well uniquely to the Menorah at Chanukah, there is a precept to have the lights publicly displayed to give witness to God's miracles.
I was just in a conversation and used the phrase "just a cotton pickin' minute" and was severely sensored for my lack of sensitivity.
When I asked why that was such an intolerable statement, I was told because slaves picked cotton, and I should be sensitive to their pain.
I have to admit I did not help my cause when moments later (on purpose) I used the phrase "I was in high cotton."
Ouch...the condemnation that poured down on me. I was told, no exaggeration, that I should avoid the word cotton altogether in conversation.
I just laughed, but it is getting that bad.
The Port director is on now.
She explains: They were approached with a request to put up a menorah. The request was accompanied by a threat to sue if the Port didn't comply. The Port was requested to have a lighting ceremony (which would have made it a religious ceremony).
So there was not threat to sue if the trees were not removed, but there absolutely a threat to sue, in fact she is saying they were given 18 hours to comply.
Well the evil Christians managed to clean up those charming Pagan customs associated with this Holiday Season like week long orgies and human sacrifice. If you want to reclaim the holiday for the Pagans, why not go all the way and practice it like your ancestors originally did? I'm sure your kids would love to hear those stories.
Sure. Christmas trees are listed in the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, I suppose? I doubt evergreens were present and "dressed" in the Mediterranean basin where Christianity developed. Why are you blaming the Catholic Church for the inculturation of such items into the celebration of the Nativity? These things developed centuries later as the religion spread north. No Catholic goes to Mass on Christmas day to worship a decorated bush, Santa Claus or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. And the menorah is symbolic of a miracle that is celebrated by Judaism with good reason.
Don't confuse secular appendages with symbols of things that happened. That is why St. Francis of Assisi was so fond of the Nativity creche and spread its use so widely. He saw the difference.
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