Wed 10 Dec 2008
Commentary: The Community HOA Members deserves inclusion, tolerance and respect
Posted by admin under Community , Dave Bossert , HOA , Holidays , Opinion [6] Comments
This past weekend the Stevenson Ranch Community Association (HOA) held a revival of the holiday event that had been done years ago. In fact, the community has not had a holiday celebration event since at least December of 2000. The event stopped back then because of a lack of volunteers in the community.
The last seven or eight years there were a few community volunteers that made sure that the lights went up on the large evergreen tree across from the waterfall on Stevenson Ranch Parkway and that the Menorah was in stalled nearby. So it is actually great to see new volunteers take on this endeavor and resurrect what had been a bit of a tradition in the community. The organizer for this year’s event was the HOA President Greg Waugh.
What was troubling though about this year’s event was that there was a blatant refusal to install the Menorah. In the past the Menorah was always part of the community holiday celebration. The Menorah along with the Christmas lights on the large tree represented essentially the two major religions in the Stevenson Ranch community.
What I have a hard time understanding is why? It is hard to understand why Mr. Waugh so arrogantly refused to include the Menorah in the event. After all Hanukkah, the festival of lights is celebrated by quite a number of Jewish families in the community. There is already a community Menorah and it would just need to be setup and plugged in.
So what was the underlying motivation to so adamantly refuse to allow the Menorah to part of a community holiday celebration? Was it just an outsized ego kicking in, misguided authority, that he could say no just because he thought he could or is there something more going on below the surface.
I personally ask if the Menorah was being put up and the response was a flat out “no”. It was not a very nice “no” at that either. When I pressed the issue and said that the Menorah had been a part of the communities decorations for more than a decade that argument feel on deaf ears. All Greg Waugh said was, “Well, times are changing!
What does that mean “times are changing”? Is there some kind of new edict that a segment of the community does not count anymore or that the HOA will no longer recognize and include some of its members?
Let’s get real for a moment. Many years ago, back in the 1990’s, some HOA members got together to discuss what the policy would be for the community holiday decorations. It was a mix of local religious leaders and residents with a mix of religious backgrounds.
Those residents had a very thoughtful discussion on what should be included in the community holiday decorations and celebrations. The large tree strung with lights was no doubt a traditional symbol of Christmas and the Menorah the traditional symbol of Hanukkah. Since those are the holidays observed by a large portion of the community it seemed to make sense. And if there were other holidays that a resident celebrated and wanted recognition than those would be discussed as they came up.
It just so happens that one year a resident wanted a decoration placed for the Muslim celebration of Ramadan. Not a problem, we just asked that resident to volunteer in being a part of identifying the proper decoration and helping to install it.
That is an example of tolerance and inclusion in the community and something that our HOA should not only be striving for but also openly welcoming. There is no reason to indignantly dig in ones heels just “because” and refuse the inclusion of all community members. Especially when it comes to including members of the community in an event that is essentially being paid for with those same member’s funds.
Excluding anyone in the HOA community from participating in an HOA funded event is not only wrong it is discrimination. That is not what the Stevenson Ranch community is about nor should it be tolerated from anyone. We need leadership at the HOA that is inclusive, tolerate and respectful of its members.
If you are as outraged as I am about the exclusion of the Menorah from the Stevenson Ranch holiday celebration than please voice your opinion. Take a moment and call Euclid Management, the Stevenson Ranch HOA management company, at 661-294-5270 and make your voice heard. As a community we deserve better!!
Dave Bossert
Commentary
Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I have a guy at the Signal who would love to do a story about this. He’ll be contacting me and I’m sure he would much rather speak with you. Feel free to contact me regarding this.
December 10th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Dear Dave:
Thank you for taking a stand in support of our Community Menorah.
Below, please find a copy of the e-mail I sent to the Editor of the Signal last night.
It has finally happened, the city of Stevenson Ranch, in taking a cue from the fictional television show WEEDS, has now officially turned into Majestic, the religiously biased, community bent on taking over what was the beautiful town of Agrestic.
This week, the President of the Stevenson Ranch HOA, indicated that he would not include the Stevenson Ranch Community Menorah in the neighborhood’s annual holiday celebration.
A part of the community for over 10 years, this Menorah has been vandalized and repaired more than once, now it has been damaged in a way that no young thuds could accomplish.
When Greg Waugh, HOA President was informed that the Menorah had been a part of the Stevenson Ranch community holiday celebration routinely for years he smiled and said; “Well, times are changing!”
The entire community should be saddened that in our little corner of the US, times are indeed changing, and not for the good of the Country, but back to an embarrassing and humiliating time in our Country’s past.
Shame on Mr. Waugh. And to the residents of Stevenson Ranch who voted to make him their leader, it’s time for a recall election. Take a hint from our Nation’s new leadership and vote for peace and understanding, not hatred and bigotry.
December 10th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Debbie from Euclid Management (management of the HOA in Stevenson Ranch) told me that a “Holiday Tree” was put up, not a Christmas Tree. There is no such thing as a “holiday tree” and there is no where in the entire description of a Christmas Tree mention any sort of Jewish origins. Saying that it is a holiday tree infers that the tree symbol somehow acknowledges Hanukah. There is no part of a Christmas Tree that covers the holiday we celebrate, Hanukah.
For those people who do not understand what a Christmas Tree is:
From Wikipedia:
A christmas Tree, less commonly known as a Yule tree, is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas and Yuletide. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during the days around Christmas. An angel or star is often placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story.
The custom of erecting a Christmas tree can be traced to 16th century Germany, though neither an inventor nor a single town can be identified as the sole origin for the tradition, which was a popular merging of older traditions mentioned above; in the Cathedral of Strasbourg in 1539, the church record mentions the erection of a Christmas tree. In that period, the guilds started erecting Christmas trees in front of their guildhalls: Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann (Marburg professor of European ethnology) found a Bremen guild chronicle of 1570 which reports how a small fir was decorated with apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers, and erected in the guild-house, for the benefit of the guild members’ children, who collected the dainties on Christmas day.[5] Another early reference is from Basel, where the tailor apprentices carried around town a tree decorated with apples and cheese in 1597. During the 17th century, the custom entered family homes. One Strasbourg priest, Johann Konrad Dannerstuart, complained about the custom as distracting from the Word of God.
The main symbol of Hanukah is either a Hanukkiah (or Menorah) or a dreidel.
Debbie from Euclid told me that if anyone from the community wanted a Menorah erected, it might be in storage and it would have to be approved by the board and some would have to volunteer to put it up.
I have a big problem with funds that are paid from every single owner of a home in Stevenson Ranch going to a Christmas Tree when my holiday, a holiday celebrated by many residents of SR is not acknowledged through a symbol like a Menorah being displayed equally as the Christmas Tree. If money was spent from our HOA dues for putting up a Christmas Tree than those same funds can pay for someone to get the Menorah out of storage and put it up.
I would say that the board has two options. Either you have to have a celebration acknowledging all holidays celebrated in December or nothing.
I would suggest that someone from our HOA hire someone to put up the menorah prior to Hannukah beginning on December 21st.
I would also suggest that a small celebration be planned with press involvement to be fair to the Jewish families who also pay HOA dues.
I would also suggest that an apology be made to those families whose holiday the board choose to ignore.
It is unbelievable to me that in this day and age that there are still people out there that think that EVERYONE celebrates Christmas. It is unbelievable to me that people actually think that a “holiday” tree or Christmas tree represents Hanukah. It is also unbelievable to me that people who are on our Board who do not think of ALL the constuents that they represent. SR has one of the largest Jewish populations in the all of the Santa Clarita Valley.
I have known the Waugh family for many years. I have a hard time believing that he said “no” to requests about putting up the menorah that the HOA already owns during the “holiday” celebration. I also can not believe that when asked about why they menorah had not been put up, he replied “well, times are changing”. If Greg had really said this, it would show that he was antisemitic, an issue that would need to be brought to the immediate attention of the board. I doubt that SR wants to be known as a antisemitic community. Again, I have a hard time believing that it is possible but these are actual quotes that he said. I would like to hear his side of the story before this goes any further about why the menorah was not included in the celebration and about his comments.
Dawn Walker
alternate delegate
December 10th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Haddasah Kochava Group has an extensive membership in Stevenson Ranch, CA. Our members escalated to me Greg Waugh’s actions in regards to the public holiday event/display on behalf of the Stevenson Ranch HOA. I am writing to register with you our group’s grave concern with this overtly hostile and anti-semitic action.
Santa Clarita has become incredibly diverse over the last 10 years. We must be steadfast and vocal in our support and representation of the growing Jewish Community (orthodox, conservative, reformed, or non-affiliated). Activity such as this may set our community back or, and this is my hope, it will propel Jews in Santa Clarita Valley to speak up and be more active: To see the importance of acknowledging and celebrating being Jewish and reach out for their own Jewish connection. To learn more about one of the Temples and groups like Hadassah Kochava available to them to meaningfully participate in their complete community.
If you require any additional information, or can provide a status of this to me accordingly, I can be reached at 661-309-3195 or via email at Kochavagroup@yahoo.com
Leah Pollack
President, Hadassah Kochava Group
Santa Clarita Valley, CA
December 11th, 2008 at 8:37 am
[...] if the Menorah will be placed in the same area as the “Holiday Tree.” Oy Vey! Signal, WRB, KHTS UPDATE: Bossert says the Menorah will be installed [...]
January 20th, 2009 at 10:51 am
For several years there was a Menorah and a lighted tree. One is a religious symbol, and the other is a secular symbol.
I asked if there would be a manger scene to represent the Christian holiday. I was flat out told that the tree was a Christian symbol, and that nothing else would be added. The tree is NOT a Christian symbol.
I noticed that this year the display included a manger scene, as well as the usual Menorah.
I was happy to see both displays.