SEATAC, Wash., Dec. 12, 2006
Airport Christmas Trees Make Comeback
Rabbi Drops Lawsuit Threat Against Seattle Airport For Not Including A Menorah
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Port of Seattle employee Dave Personius, of Arlington, Wash., walks past a Christmas Tree at Sea-Tac Airport Monday, Dec. 11, 2006 in Seattle. (AP Photo)
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A Frontier Airlines customer service agent trims a miniature Christmas tree at a ticket counter at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington, Monday Dec. 11, 2006. (AP)
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Pat Davis, president of the Port of Seattle commission, which directs airport operations, said late Monday that maintenance staff restored the 14 plastic holiday trees, festooned with red ribbons and bows, that were removed over the weekend because of a rabbi's complaint that holiday decor did not include a menorah.
Airport managers believed that if they allowed the addition of an 8-foot-tall menorah to the display, as Seattle Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky had requested, they would also have to display symbols of other religions and cultures, which was not something airport workers had time for during the busiest travel season of the year, Airport Director Mark Reis said earlier Monday.
Port officials received word Monday afternoon that Bogomilsky's organization would not file a lawsuit at this time over the placement of a menorah, Davis said in a statement.
Davis added that the rabbi "never asked us to remove the trees; it was the port's decision based on what we knew at the time."
There were no immediate plans to display a menorah, airport spokesman Bob Parker said, saying restoration of the trees was expected to take place overnight Monday.
"A key element in moving forward will be to work with the rabbi and other members of the community to develop a plan for next year's holiday decorations at the airport," the port statement said.
The rabbi has also offered to give the port an electric menorah to display, said his lawyer, Harvey Grad.
"We are not going to be the instrument by which the port holds Christmas hostage," Grad said, emphasizing the rabbi never sought removal of the trees, but addition of the menorah.
The rabbi had received "all kinds of calls and emails," many of them "odious," Grad said, adding he was "trying to figure out how this is consistent with the spirit of Christmas."
Thirteen trees had sat above foyers that lead outside to the airport drive. The largest tree, which Reis estimated to be 15 or 20 feet tall, was placed in a large lobby near baggage claim for international arrivals.
After the removal, some airline workers decorated ticketing counters with their own miniature Christmas trees.
Customer service agents with Frontier Airlines pooled their money Monday morning to buy four 1-foot-high Christmas trees, which they placed on the airline's ticketing counter.
The airlines lease space for ticket counters from the airport, and can display trees there if they want, Reis said.
On Monday, Craig Watson, the port's chief lawyer, said Bogomilsky had threatened to file the lawsuit if the port didn't make a decision by the end of last week.
"It just wasn't going to get done before the threatened lawsuit was filed. They said they were on their way to the courthouse," Watson said. "We're not in the business of offending anyone, and we're not eager to get into a federal lawsuit with anyone."
Port commissioner John Creighton said he'd hoped the trees would come down "quietly." Instead, airline employees called Seattle television stations. Creighton said he's received several irate e-mails.
Hanukkah begins this Friday at sundown.
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Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
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See all 27 CommentsMerry Christmas and God Bless
If the rabbi wanted to be a jerk, he wouldn't have pulled the lawsuit.
Could it be possible he got a call form the Jewish business leaders and was told to shut up? When it comes to being business savvy, the Jewish people are very smart. Do you think the Jews do not make a nice living off the Christian dollar this time of year?
Speaking personally, the menorah is "far more" representative of a particular faith then any decorated tree.
Just my own hunch, I have no proof.
The mistake the rabbi made was to see these trees, understandably, as a Christian symbol. The tree was part of the original pagan celebrations co-opted smartly by the Church to promote Christianity. So, if a pagan symbol can become a Christian one, a Christian symbol can become a secular symbol as well.
Symbols can change.
As a non-Christian, I LOVE this holiday & I LOVE seeing a Christmas tree anywhere. I don't associate it with Christ & don't need it to for it to be a special, spiritual time for me.
As for the rabbi, he's being made the Grinch but he just asked for something that was fairly reasonable: to be included. Is that too much to ask? Is Hanukkah also not celebrated now? It was SeaTac that pulled the plug on Christmas.
If the rabbi wanted to be a jerk, he wouldn't have pulled the lawsuit. Hopefully, they can figure out a way to return to the fundamental reason why humanity pre- and post-Christ have felt the need to huddle together in the darkness of winter: to bring light to the world and celebrate the devine bond that exists in humanity.
Whether it's the birth of the Lord or the SuperBowl or Stanley Cup, a community that can celebrate something together is a spiritually bonded society.
What does that say about our divided nation.
And, yes, Christ was born in March, but Merry Christmas!
TexasKaos.com
Happy holidays to everyone else!
I am not saying that a decorated tree does not represent Christmas to most of us, but in reality
the decorated tree has nothing to do with religion nowadays, but the menorah is a symbol of the Jewish faith, always has always will, so I would say the Rabbi did not know what he was talking about and should have been ignored.
On the one hand, readers insist that Christmas trees are non-religious, yet they would never accept anything other than a decorated pyramidal evergreen tree to represent this Christian holiday. Other readers warn against forces intent on eliminating the "Christ" in "Christmas", but in the same breath they accuse those who would prefer that it be celebrated on a personal and not public level to be troublemakers.
In this season of self-professed love and goodwill toward men, it is painfully apparent how little progress mankind has made in acceptance and inclusion. If an airport spokesperson finds it appropriate to belittle the Festival of Lights that Jesus himself celebrated, calling the installation of a single Chanukah menorah "having to play cultural anthropologist", then we have a long, long way to go.
Agreed. I haven't studied to that extent however I will contend though that even when the early Christians piggybacked onto this date as symbolic of Jesus' birth, Pope Julius 1 chose it as the "official" date of Christ's birth. No one knows the exact date obviously but even that particular Pope made a declaration, thereby creating a date to recognize Jesus' birth and the importance of the Christ. The true meaning of Christmas is not lost on Christians. Even if it coincides with some sort of pagan ritualistic time frame, that shouldn't reduce the value of the date or diminish Jesus Christ. Christians targeted December 25th as the date to celebrate Jesus' birth. I would guess that most Christians who have a relationship with Jesus would consider it irrelevant what other historical events may have happened on the same date and for that matter whether December 25th is even the correct date. The concept that I am trying to convey is that December 25th in our current society is recognized as Christmas and that it revolves around honoring Jesus Christ regardless of how it is celebrated, who it insults or how many people want to change it. Only in the last few years has the "world" made a full court press to remove Christ from Christmas. That is like forgetting the dead on Memorial Day and having a barbecue because it's a great day to celebrate a 3 day weekend.
However, jumkey is right - the holiday's origins pre-date Jesus. In this case, the pagan winter solstice celebration, among others. The early Christian church had a habit of piggy-backing on top of pre-existing Jewish and pagan holidays and celebrations. In fact, December 25th only became the official date of Christ's birth in the year 350 when Pope Julius I declared it so.
I'm sorry the Christmas season means so little to you and I'm sorry I insulted you. Christmas is about Jesus Christ whether you like or not, believe it or not, enjoy it or not. Yes, you have the option to view it as you do. I see Christmas with Santa Claus and trees and presents as well..and I enjoy those. It still doesn't change the reason the holiday exists. Celebrate any holiday any way you choose. I see Christmas and Easter and consider Jesus Christ. I see Memorial Day and think of the people who have passed away and what they meant. I see your birthday and see "you" whether it means birthday cake, candles, presents, friends. It's still about you and people recognizing you regardless how you celebrate. I say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. My tree is up and presents purchased. You're right. It's not my holiday. It's a holiday for everyone in the world to enjoy and share and for those who believe there is someone more important than themselves. And I thank Jesus every moment I can to consider Him and the peace He offers.
I am an agnostic but I am always happy to allow others to believe whatever they want and celebrate however they want. If it offends me, I leave! If I don't believe what they believe, they can't force me. And decorations don't change that. The rights of any one individual (or individual religion) do not negate the rights of others (or other religions). What is so hard about this concept?
There have been winter pagan celebrations since man first walked out of the jungle, we just happen to call ours Christmas.
It's not your holiday so get over it.
All these objections to HARMLESS traditions from these foreign ideologies is just disgusting.
We should in turn be objecting synagogues and mosques.
Let them take their crappy symbols to the Middle East where they can fight among themselves and blow up each other mosques and synagogues.
We have this same nonsense every year. Somebody starts wailing and weeping about a secular war on Christmas because people put up trees and Santas and snowmen instead of Nativity scenes and angels. Give it a rest. You want Christ in Christmas, do it as much as want in your own home. This is the United Sates. We have freedom of religion. That also means we have freedom FROM any particular religion.
Let%u2019s just enjoy the season and stop trying to force our religions down each others throats. We see enough of the damage that leads to in Iraq and other places.
By the way, Merry Christmas to you all.
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