Rabbi Demands Christmas Trees Removed

KING5.com
December 10, 2006

All of the Christmas trees inside the terminal at Seattle-Tacoma Airport have been removed in response to a complaint by a Jewish Rabbi.

The trees became an issue after Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, affiliated with the Central Organization for Jewish Education Lubavitch, asked the airport to display an 8-foot tall menorah in the arrival hall beside the holiday tree and to allow a ceremony for the lighting of the menorah. Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky (with the Central Organization for Jewish Learning) hired an attorney and threatened to sue if the airport did not erect an eight-foot menorah wasn't put up, and gave a two-day deadline to remove the trees.

For more than 25 years, the airport has celebrated the holidays with Christmas trees over its entrances. But overnight, the Port of Seattle ordered all 15 trees removed. The Port of Seattle says it had little choice, given the threat of legal action. According to airport spokeswoman the two sides could not reach an agreement before the lawsuit was to be filed, so the trees were removed instead.

"You know, our focus is on customer service, getting our passengers through the airport, and we thought if we could take the trees down and avoid litigation because we don't want to litigate with this individual," Sea-Tac public affairs manager Terri-Ann Betancourt said.