Despite Supreme Court rulings to the contrary, crèches are often banned on the same public property where menorahs are displayed. From the federal government to local schools, it is not uncommon to see menorahs and Christmas trees unaccompanied by crèches.
Catholic League president William Donohue offered the following remark on this development:
“In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled in Allegheny County v. ACLU, Greater Pittsburgh that a menorah was a religious symbol and a Christmas tree was a secular symbol. In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled in Capital Square Review Board v. Pinette that all groups must be given the same opportunity to express religious beliefs in the public forum, provided that there was no government sponsorship. Such rulings paved the way for allowing the Catholic League to get permission from New York City to display a crèche in Central Park this year. Yet many public officials continue to resist fair implementation of the law.
“The U.S. Postal Service continues to deny crèches in post offices while allowing the display of menorahs. The Long Island Railroad follows the same policy (New York’s Metro-North also adopted this policy before finally barring all religious symbols from Grand Central). When the Catholic League raises an objection, it is told that the display of menorahs and Christmas trees allows for fair representation of Jewish and Christian symbols. But this would be like allowing dreidels and crèches. As Catholics, we object when public officials accord preferential treatment for one religion over another. In short, where menorahs are allowed, so, too, should crèches (the reverse is also true).
“The Catholic League will now take its objections to members of the House and Senate subcommittees that address postal affairs and will contact New York public officials to investigate the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North policies. If necessary, we are prepared to bring suit against all of these parties.”
