News Who gets the blame here?

Who gets the blame here?

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/10/airport.christmas.trees.ap/index.html
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SEATAC, Washington (AP) -- All nine Christmas trees have been removed from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport instead of adding a giant Jewish menorah to the holiday display as a rabbi had requested.

Maintenance workers boxed up the trees during the graveyard shift early 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 didn't 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 in Seattle at the regional headquarters for Chabad Lubavitch, a Jewish education foundation.

After consulting with lawyers, 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 didn't have time to play cultural anthropologists.

Hanukkah begins this Friday at sundown.

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

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Just curious how people here would react to this. I read the post about the christmas wreath with the peace sign and then saw this and it made me think of our lovely site.

Basically I want to know in general who thinks who is more at fault in this situation: The rabbi for making the complaint or the airport for their reaction, or perhaps even both but I'd like to hear the reasoning why.

I understand where the rabbi is coming from in the fact that if one religious tradition is going to be expressed than all others should be expressed at the same time in order to not offend anyone. However, I'm a little put off by the fact the rabbi threatend with legal action over the situation. This seems like something that could be handled more appropriately in a man to man type fashion. I don't really see a need to send a case like this into the courts.

For me personally christmas isn't so much about the religious holiday as it is just a normal american tradition. I was raised religiously (catholic) and still have the belief that christmas, as it is expressed in most households today, isn't so much about the religion as it is the idea. Christmas was supposed to be about giving and kindness the same way Chanucka is (sorry about the spelling its late). I don't think having a christmas tree up is in any way oppressive to anyone's religious beliefs because it stands more as a symbol of kindness and giving than it does of the nativity story. Now had it been a nativity scene I could see where the rabbi was coming from.

On the other hand though I think the airports reaction was a little harsh. Granted they weren't presented with the most friendly of requests for a menorah, but I think taking down all the Christmas trees and thus deciding to essentially skip the holiday decorations altogether is ridiculous. I see their point that if they place a menorah then they will have to decorate for every religion accordingly and that they are an airport not an interior design company. However, one request for one menorah doesn't seem all that out of place as a sign of good faith amongst the society.

I think both parties are to blame for their individual reactions (the lawsuit and the decision to remove all decorations), but I haven't made up my mind yet on who is at fault on the base principle of the situation.

:rule: haha

Rabbi faults.....

I agree with CB.
On the other hand, who gives a shit really? I would have lef tth trees up and provided no respose. (and mor than likely would have been sued. Oh well)

christmas tree is not even a christian symbol