Protest rumors draw heightened TBI security

Volunteers spent Saturday morning removing the green wreaths with red bows from tombstones at Sarasota National Cemetery.

But a controversy surrounding the wreaths has lingered past the holiday season.

Longboat Key police officers were stationed outside Temple Beth Israel Shabbat services Friday night and Saturday morning after both Longboat Key Town Hall and Temple Beth Israel received phone calls that a nonviolent protest could take place. The protest stems from Rabbi Jonathan Katz’s statements of opposition to placing wreaths that look like Christmas symbols on Jewish graves as part of the Wreaths Across America (WAA) campaign. Protestors were not present at Friday or Saturday services.

Katz, who did not speak to the caller, said there were no physical threats and that the caller wanted to know whether protestors needed a permit.

“Everybody has a right to express themselves,” Katz said. “I guess I was a little surprised, but a lot of things happen in today’s world.”

Victoria Finley, advancement director of Sarasota Military Academy, which has organized the local WAA efforts for the past five years, was surprised to learn about protest rumors from the Longboat Observer.

“Certainly, Sarasota Military Academy and, to the best of my knowledge, WAA, would never be involved in a protest,” Finley said. “I honestly hope they don’t do anything.”

Longboat Key Police Chief Pete Cumming said Friday afternoon that police first received intelligence about a potential protest one week earlier, but has not seen evidence indicating that anyone actually plans to protest.

“We’re coming up with nothing,” Cumming said. “It looks like it’s really smoke and mirrors at this point.
“Any time we are informed of any matter of this sort, we look into it to be sure that it’s a peaceful, well-organized event. They certainly have the opportunity to voice their First Amendment rights peacefully, and we’re here to help them do that,” Cumming said.

Katz first became involved in the wreath issue last year, when he served as president of the Sarasota-Manatee Rabbinical Association (SMRA).

He wrote in the December temple bulletin that “paying homage to our nation’s veterans in this way is certainly laudable,” but stated that he and other SMRA members agreed that placing wreaths on Jewish graves was inappropriate. WAA officials have denied that the wreaths are Christmas symbols. Its national website, wreathsacrossamerica.org, states, “Our work is not about religion, a political party or agenda, or any group or affiliation.”

Katz disagrees. In the temple’s bulletin, he wrote:

“All wreaths are not the same. For example, wreaths are often laid during memorial ceremonies at Yad Vashem. But they do not possess big red ribbons and are not identified with Christmas.”

WAA officials agreed not to put wreaths on local Jewish graves unless the veteran’s family requests placement.

Katz has also spoken to officials from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to request that the VA adopt a similar policy nationally.

Finley said SMA will honor anyone’s request to remove a wreath from a loved one’s grave.

“We have no issue with the rabbi and no issue with anyone who wishes not to have a wreath placed,” she said.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]