How the Rabbi (Accidentally) Stole Christmas

Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky didn't mean to ruin everyone's holidays when he requested a menorah display be added to the Christmas tree display at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He just wanted a little inclusiveness.

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.