| "Shibboleth" | |
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| The West Wing episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 30 |
| Directed by | Laura Innes |
| Written by | Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Patrick H. Caddell (story) |
| Production code | 226208 |
| Original air date | November 22, 2000 |
| Guest stars | |
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F. William Parker |
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| Season 2 episodes | |
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| List of The West Wing episodes | |
"Shibboleth" is the 30th episode of The West Wing.
Contents |
The episode begins with a scene on the California coast, where a group of illegal Chinese immigrants have been apprehended by US agents. It turns out that they are seeking asylum in the United States because they are Christians fleeing religious persecution. This claim causes a stir amongst the American Christian community, and Josh and Sam are dispatched to meet with religious leaders to discuss the issue.
Leo faces his own policy dilemma when Toby strongly suggests that Leo's sister Josephine be named as a recess appointee because of her well-known views on the separation of church and state. Leo reluctantly agrees until he discovers that his sister arranged for a press photographer to capture the moment she ordered the arrest of a group of students who began praying at an athletic event. Leo convinces his sister to decline the appointment. Toby earns respect from Leo for offering a pragmatic reason to keep prayer out of public schools: it separates children from each other. His own personal experiences are written clearly enough that Leo asks sadly "What did they do to you?" Toby doesn't answer.
Meanwhile, C.J. is given the responsibility of choosing the national Thanksgiving Day turkey to be pardoned, which she has considerable difficulty doing. She must decide between two birds, but begs the President to pardon the runner-up when she discovers that the non-pardoned turkey will be slaughtered and eaten for dinner. This leads to a humorous scene in which President Bartlet announces pardons the second turkey but then launches into a tirade about how he cannot actually pardon a turkey and how the young man who thinks that he can should "ask his teachers for a better education." Instead, Bartlet drafts the turkey.
Throughout the episode, President Bartlet sends Charlie on a seemingly never-ending hunt for a new carving knife. Unbeknownst to Charlie, President Bartlet is replacing his own personal knife, which he gives to Charlie. A touching scene in the Oval Office occurs when Charlie receives the knife and asks the President about the markings from the manufacturer — a P.R. — and is told that the knife was made for the Bartlet family by a silversmith named Paul Revere.
Having been warned that illegal immigrants from China are sometimes taught to feign faith, the President meets with a representative of the Chinese refugees who convinces him of their need for asylum by answering Bible trivia questions and then admonishing President Bartlet that "faith is the true Shibboleth." President Bartlet calls in the Red Cross and asks the Governor of California to have the National Guard stand down, and the Chinese government is told that the refugees had escaped from the United States military.
The title, Shibboleth, is a word commonly used to mean any language usage indicative of one's social or regional origin. It originates from the Book of Judges in the Bible, where the pronunciation of the word was used to test those claiming to be from Gilead.
While chastising C.J. for mixing up several historical events, Toby inaccurately says that Jamestown was settled in the 16th century.
When asked by President Bartlet to name the apostles, the Chinese Christian names eleven - Peter, Andrew, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, Thaddeus, Simon, Judas and James. He neglects to note that there were two apostles named James.
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