Tuesday, December 12, 2006

The Christmas Battles

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The Seattle Port Authority has put back up the Christmas trees at the international terminal after a local Jewish organization threatened a lawsuit if a Menorah display was not put up.
. . . Port of Seattle staff began putting up the trees they had taken down Friday night after a local rabbi requested that a Hanukkah menorah also be displayed. Port officials said the rabbi's lawyer had threatened to imminently file a lawsuit, leaving them with insufficient time to consider all the issues. A nationwide furor erupted over the weekend as news of the trees' removal spread, with a flood of calls to Port officials and harshly worded e-mails to Jewish organizations. Today, Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky said he would not file a lawsuit and the Port, in response, said it would put the trees back up. "This has been an unfortunate situation for all of us in Seattle," Port of Seattle Commission President Pat Davis said in a statement. "The rabbi never asked us to remove the trees; it was the Port's decision based on what we knew at the time. We very much appreciate the rabbi's willingness to work with us as we move forward." A menorah will not be displayed this year.
This is ridiculous. I understand where the rabbi is coming from, but what I don’t understand is why do we have to ‘secularize’ what is a truly Christian festival. Why do we have to rename Christmas trees ‘giving’ trees or ‘holiday’ trees? We don’t go around asking for equal treatment during Ramadan or Chinese New Year? It is simply inane. To read more of this story click here. For an in-depth analysis of by a rabbi click here.

3 comments:

EC Gefroh said...

The Rabbi wanted a menorah put up at SeaTac and that his group was willing to pay for it. Looks like SeaTac overreacted and the way the media reported it made people angry at the Rabbi. I'm glad the Rabbi went on the O'Reilly Factor last night to clarify that. The media really likes to cause trouble it seems...

12/12/2006 10:11 AM
Anonymous said...

It's not the rabbi's fault, though maybe a threatening a lawsuit is a bit overboard, but how the media portrayed it as well.

12/12/2006 10:45 AM
humboldt said...

This is another evidence that the US political class is in a state of dyfunctionality. It is a problem, and a problem that the voters have to deal with, otherwise they are just the cause of the problem. How can a society that is so wealthy become so corrupt? I think that the words of our savior, Jesus Christ, justly applied to the U.S., in general: Matthew 19, 23-30:

"23 Then Jesus said to his disciples: Amen, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. 25 And when they had heard this, the disciples wondered very much, saying: Who then can be saved?

26 And Jesus beholding, said to them: With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible. 27 Then Peter answering, said to him: Behold we have left all things, and have followed thee: what therefore shall we have? 28 And Jesus said to them: Amen, I say to you, that you, who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. 30 And many that are first, shall be last: and the last shall be first."

Let's pray for the U.S. that they may change their evil ways, that they atone for their iniquities. AMDG.

12/13/2006 8:45 AM
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