Christmas-prayer rebuke ignites community uproar
Supervisor who denounced mention of Jesus forced to apologize to citizens over outburst
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47846If Purple Hearts are ever issued for wounds suffered in this season's war over Christmas, Jon Kaiman, a New York town supervisor who sharply rebuked a priest for invoking the name of Jesus during his traditional blessing of the community's Christmas tree lighting, has earned his.
Kaiman, a supervisor from the community of North Hempstead, was sitting behind Rev. Nick Zientarski as the Roman Catholic priest blessed the annual event held last week at the Manhasset village green. Zientarski chose to use a Catholic blessing over "something generic," saying that other faith traditions are represented each year, and because "this was a Christmas tree."
But even as the words left his mouth, Zientarski said, he could hear Kaiman angrily objecting: "This is inappropriate." Kaiman rose from his seat and addressed the 200 adults and children gathered there. "I just want to make it clear that this is in no way a religious ceremony," he told the stunned crowd.
"I have to tell you that Manhasset is in an uproar" Christine Roberts, who is Jewish and attended the ceremony with her two sons, told Newsday. "It really was the wrong thing to say at the wrong time. There is a lot of hostility going around. Angry letters to the editor of the local paper. Angry conversations. Insanity has absolutely overtaken this town."
The owner of the local sporting goods store and a parishioner at Zientarski's St. Mary's vented his anger by e-mail at Kaiman's "disrespectful" treatment of the minister: "Manhasset is a predominantly Christian town and it's a conservative town. There's a certain number of us who believe that if we're celebrating Christmas, then call it Christmas and recognize that we're celebrating the birth of Christ. And the event was billed as a Christmas tree lighting. Had it not been billed that way, I probably wouldn't have gone."
The uproar has gotten a stunned Kaiman's attention. "I overreacted and handled the situation poorly," he said. "I'm getting an education on this myself as I speak to a number of people in the community, and realize there really is a concern that the holiday is being diminished because people such as myself who gloss over the specific purpose of the holiday." Kaiman has been issuing numerous apologies since the blow-up at a local public meeting, in a letter to the editor of the local paper and to the priest.
Zientarski said he's accepted Kaiman's apology and sent out an e-mail to parishioners noting Kaiman's efforts to resolve the problem. "He definitely recognizes the offense he committed and he's truly sorry," the priest said. "As Catholics, we want to offer forgiveness and give people a second chance."
Zientarski, surprised to have been thrown into this season's culture war over Christmas, is overwhelmed by the support he's received. "Between yesterday and today, I've gotten 150 to 200 e-mails personally to me, all of it expressing support. And it's not just Catholics. I've heard from Jews, Greeks, people from other Christian denominations."
Now he's encouraging the parishioners on his e-mail list to join the effort to reclaim the Christian holiday. "Call your stores and encourage them to say, 'Merry Christmas' (and Happy Hannukah too)," he wrote. "Look for those Nativity scenes! We should all be proud to be Christians who believe in the Lord, Our Savior, and we should encourage ALL faiths to be people of 'faith,' not 'holidays' and the secular."
