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.
I'm glad to see that sometimes an expression of contrition is meaningful.
I'm saying no such thing. I'm saying that your very understandable offense could very well be used and exploited by the Pat Buchanans, the Abe Foxmans and the muzzies.
Although I was unaware that the celebration of 12/25 by erecting large trees was in accordance to instructions given in the Word of G-d.
Chr*stmas is part and parcel of the European-style liturgical chr*stianity most American fundamentalists profess to despise. I don't know why this escapes notice. As it is it is the one and only connection left between Bible Fundamentalism and traditional (non-Biblical) chr*stianity. I wish sincere Bible chr*stians would reexamine their celebration of this festival based on the Word of G-d, but unfortunately (and quite understandably), liberal Jewish attacks on chr*stmas only serve to make it seem more and more important and holy.
If there is a force in this world that could turn America's Bible chr*stians against Israel and open them up to historical Catholic/Orthodox chr*stianity, it is Jewish liberals. I hope they're proud of themselves.
What basis would the rabbi have to bring a lawsuit to force the airport to put up a Menorah? Why did the threat of a lawsuit evaporate when the trees disappeared?
Wow, you believe it's bigoted to desire a holiday display be put up in a public place... and to work towards that goal.
Are you sure you're not a closet liberal?
(After all, the Rabbi merely wanted to place a holiday display in the airport... which is bigoted - to you.)
Half my family are atheists and they put up Christmas trees....just like I do, a Catholic married to a Jew. He is appalled at this Rabbi.
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Are you trying to live up to your handle?
:-P
I agree - a manger and menorah should be proudly displayed because it's the season for them. I just think it's the job of the someone who feels not so equally represented to work towards equal representation - like this guy appeared to me to be doing.
My bigotry statement was really directed towards some of the unfortunate posts that take the "easy" way out. No Russian flags paraded on July 4th, but all Americans should be able to wave their American flag.
Yeah, I know!
but that was never the point despite some of the terrible media coverage. the Supreme Court basically (the way I read it) called for equal time.
"Do secular activists come in any other variety?"
Episcopals.
Then the Rabbi started whining for an apology for being blamed for suing the port...?! Medved oughta tell the whole story.
I wish the Port Authority had acted differently but the rabbi's actions were outrageous!
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So, it's outrageous to desire a Hanukah display? And when the Port Authority dithers about until the last minute, to actually try and do something to force the issue?
Why the hostility towards Hanukah? Got some sorta deep seated issue with it, or the people who celebrate it?
My understanding of history is that pagans throughout Europe used evergreen branches and shrubs in their celebration of nature. Like many other customs such as those surrounding Easter the pagan customs were dragged into Christian observation.
With respect, I believe the fundamentals of this issue are the problem. Most religions are truly practiced by a percentage of those in the ethnic category. Since ethnic Jews make up less than 2% of the U.S. population and religious Jews are a very small number indeed, even if only 10% of the Christians are truly religious, this still amounts to legal coercion by a very small minority over a much larger population. This disparity of scale opens the door to every other kind of minority representation in every venue of social life, which is the worry and concern, because precedents set by bowing to the demands of this small a minority will also be used apply to issues of homosexual indoctrination and to Islamization, that advocates murdering "infidels" or subjecting them to dhimmitude.
And no matter how legal such "don't offend me" decisions may be, the law can't force them to be popular or appreciated.
So what is gained by suppressing, or forcing legal equivalency with majority Christian holiday expression? Does it really make minorities feel better to know that Christian children are being sent to the principal's office for speaking about their holiday traditions at Show'n'Tell time? These are the extremist abuses that have set the Christian community on edge.
If I moved to another country, I would try to enjoy or appreciate aspects of their culture but not reliquish my own. Coming from a small minority, it would not occur to me to try to silence the host culture, no matter how much I would try to make sure my children would not be subjected to forced religious conversion. I'd have to work harder to teach our own.
In fact, I did raise my family to appreciate tolerance, in a neighborhood that practiced a different religion; we went to a church with a majority of a different race, and we used a private school with people from yet another different religion; but I taught our religion and traditions at home. People in the majority should not have to apologize for living or for practicing their First Amendment right to free expression. Airport trees are not an establishment of religion; just a nod to the vast majority culture who pay the majority of the bills and taxes.
This litigious attitude is exactly the sort of thing that undermines the general public's opinion of Jews, in my opinion. Let the rabbi direct his energies on his real enemies: the ones that want to eradicate Israel and believe their god calls them to murder Jews.
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The litigious attitude is necessary when the Port Authority dithers about and refuses to make a decision regarding the issue.
The lawsuit threat was, most likely, made at the last possible minute before simple logistical problems would prevent the Menorah being constructed in the first place.
"Are you trying to live up to your handle?"
Yes, she should have know it was about the human and animal sacrifices the proto-Germans hung on der Tannebaums to pacify the nature spirits.
Just like the Yule log is lit to symbolize Thor's defeat of the winter soltice and bringing back the light.
I mean we all know that, right?
(Calling a Christmas tree a Christian symbol is a stretch.)
No hostility toward Hanukah on my part. I would never sue to see Hanukah symbols taken down -- even if a Christmas tree was absent. My letter to the Rabbi sums up my feelings.
Here is my email to the Rabbi. His email address is: rabbi@chaiseattle.com
Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky,
Why is removing Christmas trees from public forums during the Christmas season so important to you? When I see Jewish symbols I am not offended. I am very happy to see them. It tells me that there are people of faith and kindness. My first impulse when I see Jewish symbols is not to say there must also be a Christmas tree or I am going to sue!
Personally, I find your actions to be very petty and childish. Millions of people will go through the SEATAC terminals and be denied the traditional Christmas experience because you could not see your chosen Jewish symbol. That does not strike me as a positive way to win friends and find common ground with your opponents.
Hundreds of millions of Christians in this country generously support the State of Israel and all that she stands for. Do you think your petty stand “You must take down the Christmas trees, if you do not put up Jewish symbols, or I will sue is really the appropriate action to be taken? Why cannot you be as generous and understanding of American Christians as they are of the Jewish faith and the State of Israel?
You really have disappointed me. Your actions bring great sorrow to me and many others.
Sincerely,
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