SEATAC, Wash. - Port of Seattle officials said they decided Monday night to put the Christmas trees back up after Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky and his Central Organization for Jewish Education Lubavitch said they would not file a threatened lawsuit. The Port of Seattle ordered them down after a Jewish group threatened to sue. Now the port's commissioner admits the move may have been a bit hasty. All nine of the Christmas trees were removed last week 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 with Chabad Lubavitch, a Jewish education foundation headquartered in Seattle's University District. "People should have their Christmas trees back up and we should have a menorah standing in the airport," said Bogomilsky.
After taking the trees down last week, Sea-Tac officials reconsidered. Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: " In hindsight, we probably should have handled this in a more deliberate and thoughtful manner...I can think of at least three out of five commissioners who would like to see the trees back up."
Bogomilsky had hired a lawyer and threatened to sue if the Port of Seattle didn't add the menorah next to the Christmas trees, which had been festooned with red ribbons and bows. Hanukkah begins this Friday at sundown. Craig Watson, the port's chief lawyer, said Bogomilsky had threatened to file the lawsuit if the port didn't make a decision by the end of last week.
After consulting with lawyers, port staff believed adding the menorah would have required adding symbols for other religions and cultures in the Northwest. Since the holidays are the busiest season at the airport, said a spokesperson, the staff wouldn't have time to play cultural anthropologists. "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."