How the Rabbi (Accidentally) Stole Christmas
Airport Officials Just Followed Traditional Anti-Christian Recipe
Unfortunately, the good rabbi did not realize he was playing into the hands of secularists who want to remove all traces of Christianity from the public square.
The rabbi may have been shocked when his request resulted in the airport removing all its Christmas trees, but to Christians, this is just another incident in an annual religious assault.
Just ask the Christians of Griswold, Conn. A Baptist church in that town has come under assault by the Connecticut chapter of American Atheists, which has demanded the silencing of the church's bells.
The atheists complain that the sound system used to broadcast the sound of the bells is owned by the town and therefore violates separation of church and state. They've asked that the sound system be sold and that the bells be muffled.
Residents have pushed back, urging local officials not to give in to the atheists' Grinchly demands. The atheist group has not filed legal action yet, which may account for officials' willingness to defy the atheists.
Once a lawsuit is filed, it may be a different matter. "The bells will continue to toll until they stop us," Borough Warden Cynthia Kata said.
Back at Seattle-Tacoma airport, Rabbi Elazar thought his request was reasonable, but he brought an attorney into the matter, and the airport responded in the reflexive, thoughtless way our courts have taught public agencies to react.
Only public outcry brought the Christmas trees back to the airport.
Airport officials were just following what has become a traditional Christmas recipe. You're familiar with the recipe, even if you've never thought of it in those terms.
Take one government, quasi-government agency or large business. Display Christmas spirit. Traditionally, a Nativity display was used, but nowadays even the most peripheral of religious symbols can be used to cook up this batch of holiday mischief -- a Christmas tree, a wreath, church bells.
(A brave few may have experimented with declaring Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman unacceptably religious, but the results have been mixed.)
Next, find some irritable, Scrooge-like character, usually played by a perpetually offended secularist, and place him in front of said Christmas display.
Marinate in intolerance and add a heaping spoonful of jealousy.
Once the Scrooge is suitably prepared, add one telephone call. Sprinkle liberally (Is there any other way?) with attorneys, and file one legal-sized injunction.
Wrap in media exposure. Don't forget to add discourse about tolerance and inclusiveness. Add a pinch of community outrage.
Bake in one court hearing. Remove half or more of the Christmas display; toss in trash. Replace with mishmash of symbols from every religion, community club and special interest group possible.
Hold news conference, pass out bland, tasteless secular holiday cookies. Force everyone to swallow.
I believe the rabbi thought he was doing a good thing, but he bought into the spin and didn't realize that the goal of these sorts of annual complaints is not to achieve inclusiveness.
Think about it. Have you heard of anyone similarly targeting, say, the Jewish High Holy Days? Or Ramadan? Or Cinco de Mayo? Or the Fourth of July?
No, it's Christmas, Christians and churches that are the perpetual legal targets.
To be sure, Christians have fought back, as in Griswold and at SeaTac, trying to keep Christmas from being downgraded. But secularists, with the help of a long list of eager attorneys, have used the courts to slowly bury Christian expression. Under the cloak of inclusiveness, they have managed to remove celebration of Christmas or diminish it by weighting it down with unrelated symbols.
I love Christmas, and I love Hanukkah. There's nothing wrong with public Hanukkah displays.
But Hanukkah is not Christmas and people shouldn't try to make it over to look like Christmas. If a community wants to celebrate its Jewish roots, why not strengthen public recognition of the High Holy Days?
Let Christmas be Christmas. Let Hanukkah be Hanukkah. And let the secularists go bother someone else.
Published by Tad Cronn
Tad Cronn is a freelance writer and artist whose works have appeared in the Los Angeles Daily News, the Orange County Register and the Seattle Post Intelligencer. View profile
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16 Comments
Post a Commentas an atheist i feel i have to say something in regards to this situation. im fairly new to atheism, so please dont hold me as any kind of speaker for my group i want to say that christmas decorations are great, they are an expression of your culture and belief, thats great. its when the state or government is showing bias support for a piticular religion, that may send the wrong message to children or those outside your beliefs. as an atheist, im all for expressing yourself, but it should be done in your homes and churches and the like, not in areas run or supported by the town or state. you must understand that can make others outside your circle uncomfortable and even intimidated, especially seeing as how christianity is already, by far, the religion held by the majority, and with the most influential power in america.
I really liked this--I am Catholic and live in a mostly Hasidim neighborhood. There's a hospital up the street and they have a GIANT menorah outside. I'd never dream of going over there and demanding they put up a Nativity scene or Christmas tree. And they had a Hanukkah parade, too. Nobody said a word. On their High Holy Days here, streets get closed (so they can pray by the water and not get run over); on Saturday afternoons they walk in the middle of the road because THEY don't drive. We live with it. They live with my Christmas lights.
I'm not particularly religious, but I don't see any problem with Christmas or other religious decorations. People who are making an issue of this really ought to find something else to worry about, and lawyers should stop trying to enrich themselves by promoting absurd lawsuits.
I personally would love to know more about faiths other than mine. I have no problem with any religion wanted "equal time" so to speak. I've read a lot of the Christmas articles on AC and I'm amazed how much anger, contempt, and even hatred is coming out and it doesn't appear to be coming from the Christian side. I think all of us - - including Christians - - need to get a grip. No matter what we believe in, or don't believe in for that matter, it is no one's right to condemn us for it or to try to take it away either. There is a reason that everyone believes what they believe. We should have enough respect for our fellow human beings, be they Jewish, Muslim, Buddist, Atheist, Agnostic, or whatever to leave them in peace. The rabii never meant for the airport to go to the extreme it did. He was shocked and unhappy with their over reaction. He apologized when he certainly did not have to. That, my friends, is what faith should be; letting others enjoy theirs no matter what. If you feel
To Barry, this part is untrue: :"We'd never seek to have the occasional menorah in the Mall if we hadn't faced decades of Santas and Christmas Trees."
Because the rabbis who place menorah's in public places do so as outreach, to reach Jews who would otherwise not care about Chanukah. They don't do it as a response to Christmas. You can PM me if you would like to discuss this.
I'm wondering how Santa Claus ever even got into the picture as Christianity has absolutely nothing to do with him and yet on the day Christians have chosen to celebrate the birth of Christ - it is largely "Santa" who is in the forefront of all the partying and gift giving. ???
part 2 -- attack, well welcome to earth
At the High Holy Days, we Jews don't take over the shopping malls, we don't have sales named after Rosh Hashanah, we don't impose anything resembling tinsel, fake snow, and fat drunk santas on the shopping malls. Nobody ever said it was easy being the MAJORITY but imagine for 1 second what it feels like to be a 7 year old Jewish boy or girl who doesn't understand why there's no period in the Jewish year where we get to share our version of good will toward men with the rest of the world. With that said, I personally accept I live in a largely Christian world (they call it a Judeo Christian world but let's be real about the #s) and that part of what I accept in December is the imposition of your holiday on my daily life. Jews largely keep Jewish celebration inside the temple and the home. We'd never seek to have the occassional menorah in the Mall if we hadn't faced decades of Santas and Christmas Trees. So if the shoe is on the other foot for a while and you Christians feel "under
Those poor discriminated-against Christians! They're such a minority in this country and they have nobody to defend them! Except, of course....
DE JESUS
Part 3. Merry Christmas, everybody!