New York Village Would Rather Remove 9-Foot Menorah than Allow Nativity Scene

Life Site News ^ | 12.19.06 | JORGE FITZ-GIBBON

[Coleus]

BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y., December 20, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Village of Briarcliff Manor officials have decided to remove their entire holiday display, including a 9-foot-tall menorah, from a public park rather than allow a resident to add a crèche after Alliance Defense Fund attorneys and allied attorneys won a temporary restraining order Friday from a federal judge. The lawsuit and TRO motion were filed Dec. 11 after the Briarcliff Manor Village's Board of Trustees refused to permit the display.

"The village's constitutional violations regarding religious expression in public make them look like the grinches who stole Christmas and Chanukah from the citizens of Briarcliff Manor," said ADF-allied attorney John Stepanovich. "It is truly sad that officials have chosen not only to thumb their noses at religion but at the justice system as well, since our client's request of equal access for a privately-funded crèche in addition to the menorah was entirely constitutional."

In place of where the holiday display once stood, village officials displayed a sign criticizing U.S. District Judge William C. Conner's decision to grant the temporary restraining order. The federal court judge's decision forced officials to either remove the menorah or grant resident Henry Ritell's request to display a nativity scene alongside it.

The sign read, "The Village erected a menorah and Christmas tree display in a spirit of inclusion. In response to a federal court order the entire display has been removed. We disagree with the court." Following outcry from the public, village officials removed the sign.

[Coleus]

As for Christianity, ask yourself whether the depth of your faith should be measured by the number of "creches" you place in the public square. >>

that's not the issue. We've been fighting the ACLU secularists for years. This town decided to put up one and only one religious symbol, a Menorah. Mr. Rittel wanted some parity for the Christmas Season and donated a Nativity Scene to the town to put up "along" with the menorah. The judge gave an ultimatum, put the Christian symbol next to the Jewish one or have none. They chose to have none.

Some battle aren't worth fighting>>>

are you kidding, the ACLU has been suing, mostly poor cities and towns, all over the country for decades to have them remove nativity scenes and other Christmas decorations from city property. It's about time a Republican puts his money where his mouth is and fights.

[kitkat]

***Cripes the muzzies must be laughing their butts off. Divide and conquer.***

Absolutely!

[muawiyah]

Depicting Jews with their heads covered would be true to the event ~ particularly for the folks identified as Jews in the story ~ on the other hand the shephards might simply have been bedouin, or maybe some other nationality then living in this area under Roman control.

What I'd like to see is Santa Claus clearly represented as "Little Red Man", his quite obvious predecessor.

[gidget7]

Thank you andy, and Happy Hanukkah to you!

[Dov in Houston]

If it is the ACLU is gonna come after me cause I like that symbol

[SJackson]

It's always been pretty obvious to me that for the government to prohibit religious displays on otherwise open public property is to violate the "religion clause" in the Constitution....People who don't agree with me should go to a different country.

I think religious displays should be allowed, but I'm willing to let that be decided locally. Some places people go crazy over these things. Whether that's constitutionally based, I doubt it, but it's not worth argueing about. Sending folks to another country or back home when they disagree, that's SOP on these threads.

[rmlew]

1-They're on the multi thousand post Sea-Tac threads, though the Rabbi never asked for anyting to be taken down.
Exactly. Those running Briarcliff are acting like those at the airport.

2-Given the, imo credible, history of the dreidl as a ploy against persecution, I think it's inappropriate.
What else is there? Gelt looks like an ethnic joke, and latkes are not so good.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you.

Good yontiff to you.

[SJackson]

Is the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus secular?

The Easter Bunny is Republican since he attacked Carter.

[dr_who_2]

Any mention of the ACLU in this article?

[Senormechanico]

As a Christian, I'm with YOU!

[EDINVA]

IF you read the article you'll see that the people upset by the judge's ruling were the town's elected board, so it was they who chose to take down the menorah and to put up a sign berating the judge. In turn the people of the town were upset at their adolescent elected board.

The Board should have accepted Mr. Reitell's gift of the crech and put it up in the first place, and avoided his having to sue.

[Polybius]

1. Where are the people who were annoyed with the Rabbi at the SEa-Tac case?

I was more annoyed at the Courts than at the Rabbi. (Post 172)

[SJackson]

This is stupid. How does suing get you want you want in this situation. It doesn't. Just pisses off people and they take everything down which makes even more people upset.

Get's you in the paper too.

[EDINVA]

Not when I lived there !!!! Chappaqua and Briarcliff at least were pure WASP. But that was a few decades ago.

[rmlew]

Depicting Jews with their heads covered would be true to the event ~ particularly for the folks identified as Jews in the story ~ on the other hand the shephards might simply have been bedouin, or maybe some other nationality then living in this area under Roman control.
Jews used to tend sheep too. Abraham, Isaac, and Moses did it!
Of course this part gets tricky, since no one would bring their flocks out in winter.

[SJackson]

The rabbi threatened to sue. He was wrong.

Yes, he was. It was stupid. He admits he was stupid.

I wish people would stop defending the rabbi, as he was WRONG, just as these people were wrong.

I''m sure you do, but I didn't defend the Rabbi. For clarification, I noted that the Rabbi did not request the Holiday Trees be taken down, and was unhappy the Holiday Trees were taken down. He says that, Sea-Tac says that, and thousands of FR posts say the opposite. Misinformed, I presume.

[muawiyah]

Bedouin wouldn't have much choice though, and dirt poor Greeks trapped in the Levant by Roman oppression might well take any sort of job.

Noting that Moses once worked as a shephard, he eventually got a promotion.

By the Jesus time Jews were a remarkably settled people and were quickly acquiring the knowledge and skills to become the world's first truly organized and functioning "industrial class".

[SuziQ]

So they are obviously NOT being very inclusive, are they?

[Coleus]

Any mention of the ACLU in this article? >>

duh, you mentioned battles, who the heck do you think has been battling cities across the country for decades to take down nativity sets. It's obvious you don't know too much about this topic.