Trees removed at Seattle Airport

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Did the Airport Do the Right Thing?

No, the trees alone were fine.

23%

[ 6 ]

No, adding a menorah would have been enough.

53%

[ 14 ]

Yes, all religions and cultures should be represented.

23%

[ 6 ]

Total Votes : 26

su7kids

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 12:03 pm

Seattle airport removes x-mas trees after rabbi threatens lawsuit

Associated Press
Published December 11, 2006

SEATAC, Wash. -- All nine x-mas trees have been removed from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport instead of adding a giant menorah to the holiday display as a rabbi had requested.

Maintenance workers boxed up the trees during the graveyard shift Saturday, when airport bosses believed few people would notice.

"We decided to take the trees down because we didn't want to be exclusive," said airport spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt. "We're trying to be thoughtful and respectful, and will review policies after the first of the year."

Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, who made his request weeks ago, said he was appalled by the decision. He had hired a lawyer and threatened to sue if the Port of Seattle did not add the menorah next to the trees, which had been festooned with red ribbons and bows.

"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," said Bogomilsky, who works at Chabad Lubavitch, a Jewish education foundation headquartered in Seattle's University District.

After consulting with lawyers, the port staff believed that adding the menorah would have required adding symbols for other religions and cultures in the Northwest. The holidays are the busiest season at the airport, Betancourt said, and staff did not have time to play cultural anthropologists.

Hanukkah begins Friday at sundown.

"They've darkened the hall instead of turning the lights up," said Harvey Grad, Bogomilsky's lawyer. "There is a concern here that the Jewish community will be portrayed as the Grinch."

queen

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 12:24 pm

oh my heavens, if I may just say this Rabbi should've just kept quiet! We have enough anti sem. going on in the world, we don't need to add more wood to the fire.

We live in golus, GROW UP and realize that.
It is NOT our country..... and we should try to stay out of the lime light as much as possible. so no, I don't agree with what the Rabbi did, and have no problem with the airport having put up trees.

tziviakayla

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 12:58 pm

queen wrote:

I agree with you, queen!

chavamom

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 1:03 pm

Yup, agree. I think this falls into the catagory of winning the battle by being 'right' yet losing the war...

Last edited by chavamom on Mon, Dec 11 2006, 1:56 pm; edited 1 time in total

sarahd

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 1:46 pm

ditto. What a stupid idea, to threaten a lawsuit over a menorah. Who and where does this guy think he is?

stem

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 2:09 pm

Was the Rabbi Lubavitch? I know they're very into the public displays of menoras.

I agree with queen 100%. I saw some news clips about this, and got a very sour feeling in my mouth from watching all the commentary about it.

momofgirls

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 2:13 pm

I agree with what everyone said why make a fuss about little things that are so unimportant. We don't need any more attention then we get.

Crayon210

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 2:15 pm

su7kids wrote:

After consulting with lawyers, the port staff believed that adding the menorah would have required adding symbols for other religions and cultures in the Northwest. The holidays are the busiest season at the airport, Betancourt said, and staff did not have time to play cultural anthropologists.

This is ridiculous. It doesn't take cultural anthropologists to put up a menorah and other symbols as requested.

I don't think the rabbi did anything so terrible. He wanted a menorah up, and the airport would rather take down the Xmas symbols than put up a Chanukah one. Oh well for them.

sarahd

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 2:33 pm

If that would be all, it wouldn't be so bad, but he threatened to sue the airport and tried to force his Judaism down their throats.

How do you think Seattle Christians feel about the airport's decision to remove the trees? What do you think they think about this Jew who caused their trees to be removed?

Why can't people realize that it's foolish and dangerous to try to force ourselves and our religion onto gentiles?

Crayon210

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 3:25 pm

I don't think he was forcing his religion on anyone. He was looking to be equally represented in the public eye.

chocolate moose

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 3:27 pm

Crazy story, huh?

sarahd

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 4:58 pm

Crayon210 wrote:

I don't think he was forcing his religion on anyone. He was looking to be equally represented in the public eye.

When you threaten to sue someone if he won't do what you want, that's forcing your desires on him.

If you read the comments on some of the news articles relating to this, you will find that people are very angry at this guy. They think that he made the airport take down the trees because he didn't want symbols of X-mas. This is not great for the Jews.

Crayon210

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 5:01 pm

I don't think the suit is indicative of anything more than American society: one that is obsessed with litigation and lawsuits. People sue over anything and everything.

Threatening to sue is not forcing your desires on anyone. Anyone is entitled to bring someone to court if he has a legal issue with him.

It would have been much easier for the airport to just put up the menorah. They decided it would be better to do it this way, oh well.

I don't think that there will be pogroms as a result of this.

Crayon210

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 5:04 pm

sarahd wrote:

They think that he made the airport take down the trees because he didn't want symbols of X-mas.

Then they didn't bother reading the article, because if anything, he didn't seem to have a problem with the trees staying up: he just wanted a menorah up also.

rainbow baby

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 5:16 pm

Here in Manchester we have a big Menorah outside our town hall. But going up the town hall there is a giant father xmas. This is a Christain country and as people have said we are in goylas, so we have to step carefully. Only through compramise and talking can people achieve things. But on the other side if there was a contract then the Rabbi might have a case. But why can he not put up the Menorah up with trees there?

Crayon210

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 5:21 pm

He needs permission. And they didn't give it. They preferred to take down all the non jewish decorations instead.

mirikush

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 5:24 pm

Quote:

What do you think they think about this Jew who caused their trees to be removed?

From what I understand he simply wanted them to add a Menorah not remove the trees. It was the airport that decided to remove all symbols of holidays whether it be xtian jewish or other. It's simply a case of management being childish.
But what I can't understand is how you American Yidden don't support him...or is it because he's Chabad (by the way I am not chabad)
I can understand if his lawsuit demanded the trees be taken down and be replaced by a menorah . That would not be understandable. After all The States like Australia is supposedly Multicultural. But it didn't. He simply requested that a Menorah be placed next to the multitude of Xmas trees.
And who cares what the non jews think...they'll think as they have always thought regardless as to whether G-d forbid you're the type of Jew who replaces his Menorah with a xmas tree or the type that never stepped out of the shtetl.
And yes...before you ask we do have antisemitism in Australia...plenty of it from Arabs and white Australians alike. So get over your inferiority complex and stand proud to be Jewish even if you are a jew in Golus.

Crayon210

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 5:26 pm

Well said!

Crayon210

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 5:26 pm

(double post)

Ribbie Danzinger

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 5:50 pm

Personally, I think that pulling down the xmas trees was a better result than having a chanukiah and xmas trees.

There is only ONE true religion. According to the Torah, xtianity is avodah zara.

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