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Title: Rabbi appalled by airport's removal of Christmas trees
Source:
www.king5.com
URL Source: http://www.king5.com/localnews/stor ... ABairporttreesSW.1663eccf.html
Published: Dec 10, 2006
Author: www.king5.com
Post Date: 2006-12-10 22:04:55 by robin
Keywords: None
Views: 2348
Comments: 138
Rabbi appalled by airport's removal of Christmas trees KING Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky SEATAC, Wash. - 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. Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, who made his request weeks ago, said he was appalled by the decision. "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 at Chabad Lubavitch, a Jewish education foundation headquartered in Seattle's University District. 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. 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." Bogomilsky 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. 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." 03:53 PM PST on Sunday, December 10, 2006
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 71.
#2. To: robin, lodwick (#0)
(Edited)
This country is fucked with political correctness and multiculturalist "sensitivity." I am sick of it. We are no longer free. Can anyone recommend a state we could take over, start a new country and seceed? [Preferably someplace without LaRaza brownshirt mexinazis] Regardless of how "religious;y" correct Christmas is, it is a tradition long held by many cultures including ours. Those who attempt to rabidly destroy the entire tradition by removing Christmas trees are assholes.
un-pc bump
Though I celebrate/observe Christmas I don't get too excited about this new found American dilemma about Christmas observances because I know Christmas was once banned by some of the pre Revolution colonies and it was not observed by the Federal govt until the early or mid 1800s. Another reason I don't pay any attention to this war on Christmas is because Protestants in America tend to be irrational nuts. Protestants go from having problems with Christmas observances (calling them Papist and pagan at times) to now demanding that Christmas get its proper due.
Do you have a link? I can't find this info anywhere.
An Outlaw Christmas In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday. The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident. After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
Oh for pity's sake. You're picking out something that Oliver Cromwell initiated as something to embrace!?! The Pilgrims (also gracing my family tree) were absolutely nutty about a few things. The Salem witch trials being among them. Now this Christmas nonsense. And that's not all, they were really strange about sex in general, wearing undergarments at all time. Do you suppose they knew what Gary Condit learned only centuries later? If that's all you've got, that's worse than nothing.
You think because it was not declared a federal holiday until 1870 that the birth of Christ was not celebrated until then? BTW, the shepherds on the hills indicates that Christ was born during the summer months (that's according to my 3rd grade Baptist Sunday School teacher).
The Protestant long removed from the original church tradition kind of forgot why things were done when they were done by the early church and why. Christmas is not a 'birthday' - ancient peoples had no clue what day they were born - Christmas was a day set aside to celebrate Christ's birth - it had no connection with his birth - i.e. he was not born on that day and that was not why the early church selected that day. Many theories exist as to why Dec 25 was picked. It was an available holiday they could pick to avoid and to convert pagan celebrations is one theory I hold to. Christmas is in the language of the old church tradition a feast day.
When the Roman Catholic Church rose upon the detritus of the Roman Empire, the Winter Equinox was a major celebration in Rome. Trees, perhaps pines, were festooned and garlanded, and people visited each others homes exchanging gifts and felicitations. Being Roman, they then proceeded to party with a vengeance. The old habits were hard to stamp out, and the Catholic Church, being pragmatic and unable to stamp out the old Saturnalia, simply proceeded to adopt it as its own, since the people were already celebrating the day and showed no signs of stopping.
Taht may be true in the West - may not be. The Christmas tree for example is not found in Eastern Christian forms of celebration until the 20th century. I know of no Italian tradition of Christmas trees - but I may be wrong.
Tree worship was a part and parcel of the preChristians of Europe. One theory I read was that the influence of the Hanoverian Dynasty upon England caused the importation of the practice, long adhered to in Germany. The old Royal Navy song, Hearts of Oak, was a residue of the worship of the towering oaks of England, some having grown so long they were over 250 feet tall.
I know of no such practice in the Roman world. Use of branches? Leaves? Sacred groves/trees? Sure but tree worship? I don't think I know of an example.
It is difficult to discern, but Oaks seemed to have a special place in the religion. See Sir James Fraizer and others. Wasn't quite tree worship, more along the lines of Numa, prolly the creator of Paganism, who was the "Deliver of Laws" to the romans after the defeat of the Tarquin the Proud the last of the hated kings of the very early Romen City, 680 BC?. He claimed that he consorted regularly with a female Goddess in a slyvian clearing who gave him the laws to give to the Roman People. Note that the Romans wore oak garlands on their heads as a symbol of victory,(the strength of the oak) the Greeks used Olive garlands as a symbol of peace (Olive was a domestic oil for cleaning).
Like I wrote: Use of branches? Leaves? Sacred groves/trees? Sure! But tree worship? I don't think I know of an example. PS: The Greeks also held the ivy to have some sacred significance. Hence the link of higher education and 'ivy'.
That would be Misletoe, I think. As it remained green and "living" , when the cruel winter killed all life.The miseltoe typically living on an oak tree, it was held to be the "scared bough", representing, evidentially, eternal life. Exactly why this is so is a mystery, but the proponderous amount of textual and icon evidence strongly suggests it is so. So powerful that many hang the ivy over the doorways today.
#76. To: tom007 (#71)
No. The misletoe has a meaning to northern Europeans not to the southern Euorpeans. Ivy is not misletoe.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestAll nine Christmas trees have been removed from the Seattle- Tacoma International Airport instead of adding a giant Jewish menorah
#12. To: IndieTX, Destro, robin, all (#2)
Please fast-forward me to 2 Jan 07...
#18. To: lodwick, IndieTX, robin, ferretmike, all (#12)
(Edited)
#19. To: Destro (#18)
I know Christmas was once banned by some of the pre Revolution colonies and it was not observed by the Federal govt until the early or mid 1800s.
#20. To: robin (#19)
#21. To: Destro (#20)
#23. To: robin (#21)
After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
#24. To: Destro (#23)
#29. To: robin (#24)
BTW, the shepherds on the hills indicates that Christ was born during the summer months (that's according to my 3rd grade Baptist Sunday School teacher).
#42. To: Destro (#29)
(Edited)
Many theories exist as to why Dec 25 was picked
#44. To: swarthyguy (#42)
#45. To: Destro (#44)
#47. To: swarthyguy (#45)
Tree worship was a part and parcel of the preChristians of Europe.
#68. To: Destro (#47)
Sure but tree worship? I don't think I know of an example.
#70. To: tom007 (#68)
Note that the Romans wore oak garlands on their heads as a symbol of victory,(the strength of the oak) the Greeks used Olive garlands as a symbol of peace (Olive was a domestic oil for cleaning).
#71. To: Destro (#70)
(Edited)
Greeks also held the ivy to have some sacred significance
Replies to Comment # 71. That would be Misletoe, I think
End Trace Mode for Comment # 71.