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Just a few hours before the start of Hanukkah on Wednesday evening, a Rockland synagogue partnered with a local church to offer a free Christmas dinner open to people of all faiths.
More than 80 people attended the meal, which was sponsored by Adas Yoshuron Synagogue and held just after noon at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
While it was the synagogue’s 33rd year hosting the event, it was the rare day Christmas overlapped with the start of Hanukkah. The eight-night Jewish holiday starts at sundown on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, which last fell on the Christian holiday in 2005, according to Vox.
Volunteer and synagogue board member Harry Polodosky noted that he considered the day a “super holiday.”
“It’s a very holy day for lots of other folks, so we love to lean in and provide some coverage for other faith communities,” Polodosky said. “We don’t celebrate Christmas, so we love to step in and help.”
Another event coordinator, Linda Garson, said their goal was “giving the people a break so they can enjoy their holiday.” She said that kind of service is consistent with an aspect of Judaism called “tikkun olam,” which means “repairing the world” and can apply to other forms of volunteerism and activism as well.
Some 30 people from the synagogue and church volunteered at the dinner, which was in part meant to serve area residents who don’t have local family or connections, or who simply wanted to join a community for the holiday.
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“If you look down the line [of people here], you’ll see the difference in all of us, but we’re all the same,” said one of the guests, Ricardo McKusick. “We’ve got to encourage each other.”
The food included turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, various soups — beef barley, and parsnip with apple — and other unique dishes. It was prepared by Melissa Kelly, the owner and chef of Primo Restaurant in Rockland, and her team. A portion of it came by donation from her customers, she noted.
“It’s a conglomeration of a lot of donations and a lot of love,” Kelly said.
The two religious institutions offer other types of community support throughout the year as well, including dinners organized through the Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry. The synagogue also hosts a similar meal on Easter.
“To me, part of Judaism is about sharing and helping out others,” said volunteer and synagogue member Alice Moskovitz, 21, who is originally from Camden.
Leftover food from the event on Wednesday would be delivered to various local organizations and institutions, Garson said.
“It’s interfaith,” another volunteer, St. Peter’s parishioner Crickett Warner said. “It helps the community come together.”
The event also included live music played by singer and pianist Annabel Parker, 22, who recently graduated from New York University’s Steinhardt College with a degree in vocal performance and has ambitions to pursue a higher degree in opera. Although she is a member of the Adas Yoshuron Synagogue, she performed Christmas-themed songs on Wednesday.
It was Parker’s seventh year performing at the event, although she used to do so as part of a group.
“I come here every year, and I carol my heart out until everyone’s gone,” said Parker. “I have always known that I wanted to be an opera singer, and I’ve never really changed my mind.”