Steve Giegerich’s story in the Post-Dispatch, Passed Over? Students bow out (04/02/08) relates a tale that is an example of the inevitable conflicts which will occur between civil society and religious observance.

Jewish students who wish to participate in a state wide competition are faced with the choice of either preparing for Passover, which begins at sunset on Saturday, April 19, or participating in the competition and barely making it back home in time to begin the Passover celebration. As the article makes clear, each student is making his/her own choice.

The problem is, in a society which struggles to encourage diversity and understanding, some of us will be forced to make choices which violate our personal religious standards. We may think that we are guided by a civil or secular calendar, but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Our current conventional calendar is a product of the religious values of the Roman Empire. The months and days bear the names of pagan deities. Over time that calendar model was adopted, with a number of modifications, by the Roman Catholic Church and thereby, to all of Western Civilization.

We civil religion-ists count our years in reference to the Birth of Jesus. As a Jew I am very familiar with the ebb and flow of the “civil” yet undeniably Christian calendar. Most of the holidays I anticipated with joy because it meant that my public school would not be in session. The fact that I was getting time off because of Christmas and Easter was of no consequence to me.

But there is still the painful memory of that childhood embarrassment when I would have to stand before each of my teachers and hand them the note from my mother, explaining my absence as being due to the observance of Jewish holidays such as, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Passover. No child enjoys being different.

In a civil society, at the very least we can be more knowledgeable about one another’s calendars. There are already organizations which publish interfaith calendars specifically for the purpose of preventing unnecessary conflicts. The only problem is getting the schedule makers to use them.

Perhaps the Post-Dispatch might provide regular reminders of the holy days and holidays to be observed in the coming week. It would save us all a great deal of guilt and embarrassment.