Christmas trees, Menorahs and the shortcut to hell

December 13, 2006
1.

You're probably familiar with the details of the incident: Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, of the Seattle chapter of Chabad-Lubavitch, had requested that the Port of Seattle include an electric menorah as part of the airport's holiday display this year. The reaction: The port's managers removed the Christmas trees. A public outcry erupted, and the trees were restored. End of story? It is and it isn't.

2.

"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."

3.

The explanation does give one a sense of relief: It's not the Rabbi's fault - if he never asked to remove the trees, there was no reason to remove the trees.

4.

It doesn't solve, though, the problem of public perception of this incident. The reporting on this story in most news outlets gives one the impression that the trees were taken off "because of the Jew." Look at these examples:

From the Chicago Tribune: "Fourteen plastic trees were removed after Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky of Seattle threatened to sue if an 8-foot menorah wasn't also added to the display."

From Fox news: "Officials had ordered the trees taken down over the weekend after a local rabbi threatened a lawsuit if a menorah wasn't also displayed at the airport."

From the Seattle Post Intelligencer: "By removing Christmas trees on display to satisfy a rabbi who wanted an electric menorah next to the trees..."

From the Seattle Times: "The departure of Christmas tree displays at main passageways at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport - the Port of Seattle's response to a local rabbi's insistence that an electric menorah also be put up."

From the Houston Chronicle: "...putting up the trees they had taken down at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Friday night after a local rabbi requested that a Hanukkah menorah also be displayed."

And I can go on and on and on.

5.

And why were these trees taken off in the first place? The explanation the port has given is quite strange. "From what we were made to understand, if we didn't accede to the group's demands, they would file a lawsuit... at the time, it seemed to be a reasonable solution to remove the Christmas trees."

Reasonable? Let's assume that we believe the port's claim that they actually thought there was a threat of a lawsuit. Wouldn't it be easier for them to put a menorah up rather than remove all the trees? It would have taken less time, cost less money and - well - would have left the trees intact.

6.

And what about the rabbi? "Our discussion of possible legal action," Chabad stated, "was never about removing Christmas trees - it was about protecting the right to add Menorahs."

What "right to add Menorahs?" Right of whom? And to add them by force? What's the point? If good intentions are the shortcut to hell, then this is a study case, a map, for such a shortcut.

7.

"I am devastated, shocked and appalled at the decision that the Port of Seattle came to," the Rabbi said, and I'm sure he is. But the damage has been done. The threat of a lawsuit is the inadequate substitute for thinking.

8.

Narrative 1: Dare I say it without sounding anti-Semitic - an enthusiastic, aggressive (oh, well, pushy) Jew meets the - dare I say it without sounding anti-Christian - hostile (gentile) establishment. Or: I-will-use-every-tool-to-prove-these-are-the-holidays-and-not-just-Christmas Jew meets the I-will-use-every-excuse-as-not-to-add-a-Jewish-symbol gentile.

9.

Narrative 2: Dare I say it without sounding anti-Semitic - a smart-ass rabbi meets the - dare I say it without sounding anti-Christian - stiff necked (gentile) establishment. Or: I'm-so-well-versed-on-my-constitutional-rights-that-I-can-file-a-lawsuit-against-George-Washington-himself Jew meets the I'm-so-scared-of-lawsuits-that-I-can't-even-think-when-people-use-the-L-word gentile.

10.

Pick your choice and happy holidays.