by Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D
Published by ToTheSource.org December 13, 2006.
By now the whole world knows that the authorities of the SeaTac airport removed about a dozen Christmas trees in the dead of night. The Port of Seattle Commission feared a lawsuit from a local rabbi if they did not remove the trees. And they feared the indignation of the public if they did remove them. Hence, the graveyard shift workers took the trees down when no one would notice.
But you might not know that the rabbi never wanted the trees removed. In fact, when the trees were restored, Orthodox Rabbi Bogomilsky said, “Like people from all cultures and religions, we’re thrilled the trees are going back up.”
So how did this mess occur?
The situation began quietly back in October, when Mitchell Stein, who is Jewish and a construction consultant for the Port of Seattle, contacted a Port staffer saying he’d like to sponsor a large menorah near the Christmas tree in the international arrival hall. Over the next several weeks, though, he was referred to several different people on the staff, who gave him contradictory information. But nothing was resolved and no action was taken until last week.
The rabbi’s attorney sent the Port Authority a legal document as a way of spurring action and to let the Port know the legal precedents involved in the issue. Though the rabbi claims he did not intend the letter to be threatening, it was. The Port Authority panicked. They interpreted the letter to mean that they needed to respond to the group’s demands, or they would file suit the next day. “At the time, it seemed to be a reasonable solution to remove the Christmas trees,” according to Port Commissioner John Creighton.
That decision might have been a legally correct “solution,” but it didn’t please anybody. The Port Commission was swamped with e-mails supporting the Christmas trees. And local Jewish organizations began getting hate mail. And Rabbi Bogomilsky? He was appalled that the trees were removed. He never asked for the trees to come down: he simply wanted to add a menorah. As he put it, “At the end of the day, it’s not about the trees, but adding light to the holiday, not diminishing any light.” The rabbi and his attorneys agree that the letter, with its mention of a lawsuit, was a mistake. They had intended it as a spur to some kind of decision, which the Port Commission had postponed for months.
So what are the lessons here?
Lesson 1: That the past seasons of the Christmas Wars have gotten everybody wound as tightly as a Christmas drum over the fear of litigation.
Lesson 2: That our public officials are afraid to make decisions for fear of offending ethnic or religious groups.
Lesson 3: That the public is sick of the Christmas Wars, and wants unabashed display of symbols of the holiday.
Lesson 4: And one more thing: religious Jews are easier to work with than secularists.
Rabbi Bogomilsky doesn’t feel threatened by Christianity or Christian symbols. As Port Commission President Pat Davis said, “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.”
I somehow doubt the ACLU would have been so generous or accommodating to allow this Christmas tree story to have a happy ending.
