Jews Strive To Restore Christmas Trees At Seattle Airport
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From: Ricky on 14 Dec 2006 19:19 Okay. Um, what does this have to do with abortion? Sound of Trumpet wrote: > http://www.towardtradition.org/index.cfm?PAGE_ID=235 > > > > 12.11.2006 Jews Strive to Restore Christmas Trees > > > Jews Strive to Restore Sea-Tac Airport's Christmas Trees > > By Rabbi Daniel Lapin > > > > 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. > > Why am I, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, so concerned about a few Christmas > trees? Not for a moment do I believe that American Christians will > react to this insult with a flurry of anti-Semitic activity. But I do > feel certain that perhaps in some small way, expelling Christmas > symbolism from the airport makes it just a little harder to protect > America's Christian nature. > > For centuries, we Jews suffered in a Europe governed by ecclesiastical > authority. We suffered no less under the secular tyrannies of > communism. Now, in post-Christian Europe, where both government and > population are increasingly secular, anti-Semitism is dramatically on > the rise. In short, we have never thrived under religious government > or within secular cultures. > > During the past two thousand years of Jewish history Jews have never > enjoyed a more hospitable home than we enjoy here in the United States > of America. > > This is because we have a religiously neutral government and a largely > religious Christian population. Most American Christians love Jews and > support Israel unconditionally because of their commitment to the Bible > and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Evidence from across the > Atlantic persuades me that our lot will deteriorate if America's > population gradually becomes secularized and removing the Christmas > trees makes that disturbing likelihood, over time, more probable. Yes, > public symbols are very important. > > Years ago we Jews advocated for full equality. Today, with thirteen > Jewish United States senators, over thirty Jewish congressmen, two Jews > on the Supreme Court, and disproportionate Jewish representation in > media and entertainment, one could reasonably say we have achieved it. > But back then, the only culture in America was Christian. Today, > however, America is home to many faiths, not all of them friendly > towards Judaism. > > Today, agitating for Jewish religious representation in the culture > inevitably results not in equating Judaism with Christianity but the > removal of both Judaism and Christianity. In other words, pushing for > the menorah means removal of the Christmas tree and the triumph of > secularism. Europe, both past and present, teaches us that if America > becomes secularized, Jews suffer. > > For fifteen years I have insisted that for Jews to oppose Christianity > in America is a mistake. The world today is populated by millions who > harbor festering hatred for Jews. There remains one group of people > who love and support us and they are America's Evangelical > Christians. What possible sense does it make to fight your friends by > stripping their symbols from sight? > > When the Moslems invaded Spain, one of their first actions was the > removal of all Christian symbols from public view. Secularism's > invasion of America is attempting exactly the same strategy. I implore > American Jews not to ally themselves with this ill-fated campaign. > > We are less than a week from the Jewish holiday of Chanukah during > which our most important religious observance revolves around the > blessings we say over the Menorah. In doing so, we oppose the still > prevalent and ever more dangerous force of secularism. > > When times change, unlike dinosaurs, wise organisms adapt. We should > recognize that we all have a stake in protecting Christian symbolism in > the village square (or the airport). The only alternative will be no > religious symbolism at all and make no mistake, secularism's rise is > Judaism's decline. > > I spoke to the rabbi involved today and he is genuinely unhappy with > the decision of Sea-Tac airport. I invited him to join the Toward > Tradition petition and I hope he will do so. I urge you also to do > whatever you can to help bring back Sea-Tac Airport's Christmas > trees. Let us all show that we care. > > Exactly thirteen years ago, a brick was thrown through a Jewish > home's window in Billings, Montana because inside that window was > displayed a menorah. Within days, over six thousand Christian homes in > Billings protested that anti-religious bigotry by displaying menorahs > in their windows. > > I am not suggesting that Jews express their support by displaying > Christmas trees in their windows but I am suggesting that Jews fulfill > the spirit of Chanukah by supporting public expressions of the other > Biblical faith. I don't think that the airport was guilty of > anti-religious bigotry but a weakening of Christianity in America could > become a huge threat. For a start, let us try to restore Sea-Tac > Airport's Christmas trees. > > > > > > Toward Tradition president, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, is a noted rabbinic > scholar and national public speaker. His radio show broadcasts live > over the Internet on KSFO San Francisco each Sunday 1-4pm PST and is > the author of three best-selling books, Thou Shall Prosper, America's > Real War and Buried Treasure.
From: Tchiowa on 14 Dec 2006 19:23 flaviaR(a)verizon.net wrote: > On 14-Dec-2006, constantinopoli(a)gmail.com wrote: > > > Mark K. Bilbo wrote: > > > On Wed, 13 Dec 2006 22:02:49 -0800, Laura Sanchez wrote: > > > > > > >> Too bad Christianity doesn't return the favor. > > > > > > > > > > > > Excuse me? It's Christians that are the only ones defending Israel > > > > and > > > > denouncing anti-Semitism. > > > > > > By refusing to add a menorah to the airport display? > > > > If there's a choice between displaying all religions and displaying > > none - and that was ultimately the choice - then the better option is > > to display none. > > Which is fine, just so long as you don;t BLAME the people who only asked for > equal time. No, the Rabbi asked for special consideration, not equal time. He asked for his religious symbol to be displayed because Christmas symbols were being displayed. But Christmas is the holiday therefore Christmas symbols are appropriate. If the Rabbi wants Hannukah to be a national holiday then let him ask for that. > > Christmas trees are nonreligious > > Except for their NAME, and that they only come out AT XMAS. So what?
From: Tchiowa on 14 Dec 2006 19:25 Sancho Panza wrote: > <constantinopoli(a)gmail.com> wrote in message > news:1166134980.971609.224110(a)n67g2000cwd.googlegroups.com... > > Thus there is no basis for complaint that Christmas trees and not > > menorahs were displayed. To complain about such a think is like > > complaining that banana trees and not orange trees were displayed. > > Try to explain why one group shouuld have the right of display and another > should not. Simple. Because one is celebrating an official national holiday and the other is not. Any more questions?
From: Tchiowa on 14 Dec 2006 19:27 Sancho Panza wrote: > "James A. Donald" <jamesd(a)echeque.com> wrote in message > news:g083o29k0sig4dskbku3fck5tq29gtdith(a)4ax.com... > > -- > > "James A. Donald" > > > > any one who not only does not celebrate it, but gets > > > > upset and offended by other people celebrating it, > > > > is indeed a bigot. > > > > "Sancho Panza" > > > You would no doubt celebrate even more imams and > > > others taking out their prayer rugs and doing their > > > thing in the middle of a public place that you are > > > using. > > > > There was no manger at the airport, nor any prayer. The > > airport Christmas was carefully sanitized of anything > > with the slightest connection to Christianity. > > If the trees have no connection to Christianity, why do basically just > Christians use them? Simply not true. A lot of non-Christians including members of other religions and atheists who celebrate Christmas as a non-religious holiday put them up.
From: Mark K. Bilbo on 14 Dec 2006 19:42
On Thu, 14 Dec 2006 22:16:26 +0000, flaviaR wrote: > On 14-Dec-2006, "Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail(a)com.mkbilbo> wrote: > >> On Thu, 14 Dec 2006 08:38:26 -0800, markzoom wrote: >> >> > >> > Mark K. Bilbo wrote: >> >> On Wed, 13 Dec 2006 22:02:49 -0800, Laura Sanchez wrote: >> >> >> >> >> Too bad Christianity doesn't return the favor. >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > Excuse me? It's Christians that are the only ones defending Israel >> >> > and >> >> > denouncing anti-Semitism. >> >> >> >> By refusing to add a menorah to the airport display? >> > >> > It's not just some kind of festive decoration. >> > The menorah is the NATIONAL EMBLEM OF THE "STATE" OF ISRAEL > > NO, IT IS NOT. > The chanukiah "menorah" used at Chanukah has eight branches and one in > the middle; the Israeli Menorah has six and one in the middle. It is > distinctly > different and for a reason that bigots like markzoom will never grasp - and > on > purpose. I wasn't aware there was a difference. But even if they were identical, it still wouldn't matter. There are quiet plainly US citizens for whom it is a significant symbol in their belief system and our governments have no business sticking up one symbol and ignoring the others. Frankly, I think this whole fiasco was a stunt by the airport people. They expended more effort yanking trees down and throwing them back up than they likely would have if they'd sat down with the man who objected and worked it out. He didn't want the trees pulled down, he wanted equal representation. Sit down with him and figure out how to do it given the time and money constraints. >> > Like the >> > eagle is to the US!: >> > >> > http://www.science.co.il/Israel-Emblem.asp >> > >> > I would find it highly offensive to have an 8 foot foreign state >> > emblem displayed by legal imposition in my country. > > Which is, of course, why no one is suggesting it. > >> > But hey, maybe >> > yanks should know who their real masters are. >> >> That's stupid. > > Yes, he is. > >> Doesn't matter what it means in Israel, this isn't Israel. >> Here, many regard it as a religious symbol. If we're going to let one >> religious symbol be displayed on public property at public expense, we >> should let all of them be displayed. > > Exactly. What irritates me is the airport didn't even *try. They went out of their way to make it look like the man was being "unreasonable." He wasn't. They were. -- Mark K. Bilbo ------------------------------------------------------------ "Creationists criticize evolutionists for the demeaning idea of 'coming from apes' and say that man is more noble than that, and then have sermons where man is called a miserable worm worthy to be burned eternally in hell." -William Bagley |