Give Me A Break!
For the first time in 25 years, there will be no Christmas trees at the Sea-Tac Airport in Washington State this year. The airport received a complaint... ONE complaint... from a Jewish leader who felt they were offensive. He demanded that the airport put up an 8-foot menorah to balance the message of the Christmas trees.
Well sir, perhaps those airport trees offended you, but YOU offend me.
Perhaps I could understand his argument if the airport was displaying a nativity scene. Sure, displaying a menorah in addition to a nativity scene would be appropriate.
But a "Christmas tree" has become about as non-religious as one can get, as if it was ever religious to begin with. Almost every non-Christian family I know puts up a tree during the holidays, and most of them have visits from Santa as well.
Stores start putting up trees and related decorations in September these days. Many charities sponsor "angel trees". Even most offices (both private and government) display some kind of tree during the holidays.
Is this man going to sue everyone over Christmas trees? Can he go anywhere this time of year without being offended? If he is so offended by a Christmas tree, I can only assume that a nativity scene would thoroughly put him in to cardiac arrest!
Couldn't a compromise have been reached where Jewish groups could have decorated a tree as a "Hanukkah bush"?
Addendum: Please visit my friends at Right Pundits for their take on this.
Well sir, perhaps those airport trees offended you, but YOU offend me.
Perhaps I could understand his argument if the airport was displaying a nativity scene. Sure, displaying a menorah in addition to a nativity scene would be appropriate.
But a "Christmas tree" has become about as non-religious as one can get, as if it was ever religious to begin with. Almost every non-Christian family I know puts up a tree during the holidays, and most of them have visits from Santa as well.
Stores start putting up trees and related decorations in September these days. Many charities sponsor "angel trees". Even most offices (both private and government) display some kind of tree during the holidays.
Is this man going to sue everyone over Christmas trees? Can he go anywhere this time of year without being offended? If he is so offended by a Christmas tree, I can only assume that a nativity scene would thoroughly put him in to cardiac arrest!
Couldn't a compromise have been reached where Jewish groups could have decorated a tree as a "Hanukkah bush"?
Addendum: Please visit my friends at Right Pundits for their take on this.
posted by Susan | 11:35 AM
3 Comments:
Thanks for the heads-up, Susan. I linked into your post after I saw your comment.
And let me know if you do any more of these Christmas pieces because I would like to feature them. Maybe you would be willing cross-post?
Why do you think the rabbi considered them offensive? To the contrary!
The rabbi says he's appalled at what happened!.
I think the rabbi considered them offensive because that's what the story said: "Officials at Sea-Tac Airport said a rabbi with the Central Organization for Jewish Learning calls them offensive."
He may be appalled at the decision, but he filed the suit originally because he found the trees offensive.
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