Jews Strive to Restore Sea-Tac Airport's Christmas Trees

Toward Tradition ^ | December 11, 2006 | Rabbi Daniel Lapin

[Mr. Mulliner]

Well here we go again. It is so utterly predictable. Like clockwork. It’s December and time for another skirmish in the annual battle against Christmas. What compels me to comment is that this time it's not the usual secular fanatic who's responsible for doing things that evict Christianity from the culture. No, on this sad and alarming occasion it's a deeply religious, well-intentioned rabbi who has unwittingly stumbled into a situation that will place his denomination (and mine) —Orthodox Judaism— in a terrible, negative light.

For at least ten years, Sea-Tac Airport near Seattle has displayed several large, beautifully decorated Christmas trees each December. With lawyer in tow, a local rabbi recently threatened to sue the Port of Seattle if the airport didn't add a Chanukah menorah to the holiday display.

Yielding to the ultimatum was not an option for airport management, skittish at the best of times since 9-11. Understandably, they interpreted the rabbi’s threat as only the first. It would not be hard to imagine Seattle’s Islamic community stepping forward with their own lawyer to demand a Moslem symbol be included as well.

With deft turn of phrase, Sea-Tac public affairs manager Terri-Ann Betancourt explained that at the busiest travel time of the year, while Sea-Tac was focused on getting passengers through the airport, she and her staff didn’t have time “to play cultural anthropologists.”

Threatening a lawsuit, I feel, violates the Jewish principle known in Hebrew as Kiddush HaShem, interpreted in the Talmud, part of ancient Jewish wisdom, as an action that encourages people to admire Jews. One need only read the comments on the Internet following the news accounts of the tree removal, to know that most people are feeling indignant and hurt. They certainly are not feeling more warmly toward Jews as a result of this mess.

Here I disclose that I know the rabbi involved, am friendly with him, and am sure that he didn’t intend this outcome. I like him, which makes it painful for me to point out that when one throws a punch (which is what bringing a lawyer and threatening to sue is equivalent to) and one gets decked in return, one cannot plead that one didn’t intend that outcome.

The outcome, whether intended or not, is that now vast numbers of passengers, most of whom are probably Christian, will be deprived of the cheerful holiday sight of pretty Christmas trees. What is more, they will know that their deprivation was caused by a Jewish rabbi. The rabbi’s lawyer told a television reporter, “There is a concern here that the Jewish community will be portrayed as the Grinch.”

No, Mr. Lawyer, it is not that Jews will be “portrayed” as the grinch. Sadly, now we are the grinch. You made us the grinch.

Now what is to be done? I have three requests:

I am asking every reader of this column to sign a petition on the Toward Tradition website beseeching Sea-Tac management to restore the Christmas trees.

I am asking every reader of this column to forward it to others who might be willing to sign this petition.

I am asking Jews in the Puget Sound region to join national radio host, Michael Medved, and me in offering our volunteer labor to Sea-Tac. We hope they will allow us to provide the labor necessary for replacing the trees so that airport staff need not be deflected from their important duties.

[colorado tanker]

Seattle is a liberal hotbed, the Emerald City in the Land of Oz. It's Seattle officials who made the decision to remove the trees rather than display a menorah, not conservative Christians.

[EveningStar]

Speaking only for myself, it the display, actually the attempt to display, a menorah at an airport causes the "religious" right to dease their support of Israel

That's not going to happen. :)

[cripplecreek]

When I was a kid my grandfather had a friend who was a Rabbi. The Rabbi used to spend almost every Christmas with our family. He just felt that Christmas was a beautiful holiday.

[Dog Gone]

You're overanalyzing it. It was a threat to sue for removal of the trees unless a menorrah was also displayed. In the minds of gentiles, that threat got the Christmas trees removed.

I doubt many of the gentiles would have opposed seeing a menorrah, but that's not the point. What sinks in is that a Jewish Rabbi got a SECULAR symbol of Christmas removed. If you don't think that has caused resentment, you're wrong.

And if you don't think gentile support of Israel is important, you're wrong again.

[Darkwolf377]

I see more passion for this subject than I did for the election.

As long as we are so infuriated by such trivial issues, and take an "oh well" attitude about keeping the libs out of power, we will drown in political correctness, of which the silly obsession with Christmas displays (pro and con) is merely a symptom.

[TaraP]

Hannkuah is friday the Holiday in Decmeber is Hannukah and Christmas SEATACKY was worried, they say other religions would want displays like who? We don't recognize everyone's religion and why do we need too? how many crop up yearly? to bad for the wiccans and the scientologists and the muslims and the satan worshippers, why are we turning into a bunch of woosees?

We are a Judeo Christian Nation....Bottom line

[Thumper1960]

Too many Christians fail to realize that Judaism and Christianity are so intertwined as to be twin flowers from the same bud. The history of Christianity is the history of Judaism. The God of Abraham was, and is, the God (and Father) of Christ Jesus. Neither of our religious strains can be forever separated from the other. We are Christians and Jews, as the Christ was Jewish....a Jewish carpenter.

I do believe the Rabbi who started this is likely stricken with grief and shock at what his actions spawned. Hopefully, by signing this petition, we can make it right together. In a spirit of religious brotherhood and interdependence for the survival of both our faiths.

Perhaps this week I'll pick up a menorah and display it along with our Christmas tree. Then, we can reflect on the wonderful blessing that God granted us in the birth of a small Jewish child, born of a virgin mother, in a manger, in Bethlehem, who came to be the shepherd of a world seeking His Father.

[Sabramerican]

his views are in the distinct - barely perceptible,

You're being generous.

[TaraP]

I believe Christians are in support of Israel not gentiles.

[Salem]

Lapin 'Bump'!

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[Mr. Mulliner]

Having re-read your post, I see now that you were not saying that Rabbi Lapin's views were in the "barely perceptible" minority, but the rabbi who gave the ultimatum to Sea-Tac. My apologies.

[ripley]

"jews strive to restore sea-tacs christmas trees."

why don't you just leave it alone. the damage is done. do you love applying salt so liberally to the wounds you create?

one would guess, based on the actions of these bullies, that the marquis de sade wasn't the one and only.

[Sabramerican]

a menorah at an airport causes the "religious" right to cease their support of Israel,

Well if it's not a movie or voting patterns, and who knows what else, at least we go down with a Menorah.

[Salvation]

A day late and a dollor short.

[wideminded]

Threatening a lawsuit, I feel, violates the Jewish principle known in Hebrew as Kiddush HaShem, interpreted in the Talmud, part of ancient Jewish wisdom, as an action that encourages people to admire Jews.

An elderly Jewish friend always had the feeling the Jews should keep their heads down and not try to attract possibly negative attention that could bring negative consequences for other Jews. She even gave this as a reason that Lieberman should not have run for vice president. She lived her whole life in this country.

[livius]

I think the point is that if he had really wanted the display of a menorah, he would have begun to approach the airport authorities way in advance, not suddenly appear with his lawyer in tow demanding that a menorah be put up. And by the way, I don't think a menorah and a Christmas tree are equal as religious symbols. The "Christmas tree" by now is simply a cultural symbol of a holiday celebrated by the majority of Americans, in their fashion, coming out of the English/German tradition in the US. In fact many US Christian denominations are opposed to the tree and among non-German Catholics in Europe, it was not in use at all until commercialization spread the custom from the US to Catholic Southern European countries such as Spain and Italy.

What do you think the reception would be in Israel, a country with a Jewish tradition and according cultural symbols, if a Christian group suddenly appeared and demanded that a creche be installed in the airport? Probably much more hostile than the reaction here to the rabbi's demand.

In short, I think the rabbi meant to disrupt. I have seen Lubavitchers do this elsewhere and this is their usual approach, although I think it backfires and many Jews regard them as sort of wild cards and not exactly the sort of publicity they or any religious group would want.

[Mr. Mulliner]

Leave it alone? Do you mean ignore this petition to restore the Christmas trees at the airport? Why should we leave that alone if we would like to see the Christmas trees restored?

[Mr. Mulliner]

I don't understand that statement. What's that supposed to mean?

[SJackson]

You're overanalyzing it. It was a threat to sue for removal of the trees unless a menorrah was also displayed. In the minds of gentiles, that threat got the Christmas trees removed.

I'm not overanalyzing, you have it wrong.

To whatever there was a "threat", imo a tad overstated, the "threat" was to sue for the display of a Menorah. As is done in likely thousands of displays in the country. The trees (Holiday trees not Christmas trees per Sea-Tac, and they were their trees) were never an issue.

Gentile support for Israel, any support for Israel, that runs at the thought of the public display of a Menorah isn't support at all.

I suspect you've placed a bit too much confidence in the initial media portrayal of the "incident".

[null and void]

Now THERE'S a headline.

from the Twilight Zone...