Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sometimes religion involves sacrifice: Hockey team forced to forfeit over holiday
Parents and players of the Dollard des Ormeaux Midget B Civics are furious they will have to forfeit a regional semifinal hockey game that falls on the first night of Passover.
Team manager Eva-Lynn Gross was told by organizers it would be "easier to move Passover" than to reschedule a playoff game.
At least 10 of the team's 15 players are Jewish and are not willing to miss the first Seder on Monday night.
"The kids are very disappointed," said Gross, who has made appeals to the Dollard des Ormeaux and Lake St. Louis hockey leagues. "They should work around stuff like this."
Games can't be rescheduled during regionals, Lac St. Louis executive director Sylvain McSween said. "There are 700 hockey matches in less than three weeks, and we can't have any changes. One special case leads to another and another. There's nothing we can do."...
I was less than sympathetic, after all, this isn't the math test that the teacher can simply give on another night, and seriously, you want religion...live it. Then again, there's this:
Parents are even more upset that organizers wouldn't allow them to switch places with another team that offered its spot so the Civics could play at a time that wouldn't conflict with Passover.
"Lac St. Louis said no to that, too," said Earl Eichenbaum, the team's assistant coach. "The kids are very upset because they earned the right to play in this tournament. To be denied to progress seems unfair."
But if the league allows one team to switch times, everyone will ask for the same consideration, McSween said...
Hmmm...reasonable accommodation if someone is willing to switch and it doesn't effect the tournament...
Certainly it's easy to switch, there's no legitimate reason not to. The excuse that 'if we do it for one we need to do it for all' is bogus. The association will continue to take each request on a case-to-case basis, just the way it does now. The issue is THIS request. And there is no reason for the association to deny the request. Except one, which begins with 'anti' and ends with 'ism'
Too think it's just 25 years since the Jewish community in my small town in New Jersey fought the local school board for having exams scheduled on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashona. Exams that COULDN'T be made up when the holidays were over. The more things change, the more they remain the same. I won't be surprised if some ill-informed commentator blames it on the so called "occupaion".
Why is this same excuse -- "if I make an exception for you, I have to make an exception for everyone" -- always trotted out?
Because it's so easy, I guess. It sounds reasonable, and it prevents the person offering the excuse from having to think.
I guess for many moderately-observant American Jews, this is a rite of passage: the requirement to participate in a test or a public activity that conflicts with a major Jewish holiday. And every single time, the people who created the conflict don't see why it's a big deal. (To which we reply: it would have been a big deal to look at a calendar? Nearly all calendars printed in the United States have the major Jewish holidays listed... and the upcoming dates have been known for hundreds of years. There's nothing sudden about this.)
It's a pity for the Montreal kids to have to deal with this. On the other hand, it's mild indeed compared to antisemitism they can face as adults. Better to look the problem in the face now, and know that it exists. Sorry, kids.
respectfully,
Daniel in Brookline
Why does the majority need to bow to the religious ritual of a minority? (except Islam of course ((they will f*cking kill you!)) )