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[dinarochel]

To all those responsible for planning AAA's sneak peak at Legoland,

When you plan exclusive opportunities for your members, it's important to use a calendar to make sure you are not planning it on any particular groups holy day. October 7th to 8th is the jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the most serious and solemn day of the year for jews.  What a mistake. For an organization of your size and reach to not be aware of what and when you schedule an event is inexcusable. I take this very personally, as would anybody whose holiday you would have shown disrespect for, be it christian, muslim, etc..

Randy Freedman, long time AAA member

[StephenW]

Hello, Mr. Freedman,

You're correct. To my knowledge, no one consulted the calendar and I apologize for the incovenience of the date. Even though Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Oct. 7 (and Legoland is only open until 5 p.m. that day), it's really not for me to say if visiting a theme park is an appropriate activity leading up to such a somber holiday as Yom Kippur. For most, I'm sure it is not.

Legoland officially opens on Oct. 15, so our choice for preview dates was quite limited. While holidays such as Christmas (because of its commercialization as opposed to its religious significance) are often accounted for in scheduling events, most other holidays--especially religious holidays--are not. And honestly, that's a true shame. 

At this point, there is little I can do other than apologize. We'll certainly do our best to learn from this mistake; it is never our intention to offend or disrespect.

I wish you and your family a happy Rosh HaShanah and a blessed Yom Kippur.

Stephen Wheeler