Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yo!Chingo]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,235772,00.html

Just for clarification. This article is more explicit and clarifies that instead of putting up the menorah the airport just took all holiday decorations down. Problem solved for them, but I still think it was a pretty crappy move.

Now the rabbi's worried that the Jewish community will look like the Grinch

[Satori]

[Milwaukiedave]

The way I read it from this article http://cbs5.com/national/local_story_345215708.html is that the rabbi was threatening to file a lawsuit immediately, the port decided they didn't have time to set up a display so they took everything down. This makes sense given the fact that starting with Thanksgiving and ending around New Years are when the airport is busy.

If they had put up the menorah, it's possible that other groups would have complained as well. Then the airport would have had no other choice to comply with putting up other religious symbols or face similar threats of lawsuits.

The funny thing is in the end the only thing the rabbi is interested in is his own reputation.

[Milwaukiedave]

Maybe the grinch didn't steal Christmas after all...

Seattle airport bringing back Christmas trees

POSTED: 1004 GMT (1804 HKT), December 12, 2006

SEATAC, Washington (AP) -- Christmas trees are going back up at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Pat Davis, president of the Port of Seattle commission, which directs airport operations, said late Monday that maintenance staff would restore the 14 plastic holiday trees, festooned with red ribbons and bows, that were removed over the weekend because of a rabbi's complaint that holiday decor did not include a menorah.

Airport managers believed that if they allowed the addition of an 8-foot-tall menorah to the display, as Seattle Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky had requested, they would also have to display symbols of other religions and cultures, which was not something airport workers had time for during the busiest travel season of the year, Airport Director Mark Reis said earlier Monday.

Port officials received word Monday afternoon that Bogomilsky's organization would not file a lawsuit at this time to seek the placement of a menorah, Davis said in a statement.

"Given that, the holiday trees will be replaced as quickly as possible," he said.

Davis added that the rabbi "never asked us to remove the trees; it was the port's decision based on what we knew at the time."

There were no immediate plans to display a menorah, airport spokesman Bob Parker said, saying restoration of the trees was expected to take place overnight Monday.

"A key element in moving forward will be to work with the rabbi and other members of the community to develop a plan for next year's holiday decorations at the airport," the port statement said.

The rabbi has also offered to give the port an electric menorah to display, said his lawyer, Harvey Grad.

"We are not going to be the instrument by which the port holds Christmas hostage," Grad said, emphasizing the rabbi never sought removal of the trees, but addition of the menorah.

The rabbi had received "all kinds of calls and emails," many of them "odious," Grad said, adding he was "trying to figure out how this is consistent with the spirit of Christmas."

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/US/12/12/airport.christmas.trees.ap/index.html?eref=rss_latest