Elkins Park synagogue continues Christmas cookie tradition for first responders

ELKINS PARK, Pa. (WPVI) -- A decades-old tradition continued on Christmas Day at the Congregations of Shaare Shamayim in Elkins Park, where volunteers baked and delivered cookies to first responders and hospital workers across the region.

"We've been doing this for 20 years now," said Jacques Lurie, executive director of the synagogue.

The annual effort brings together about eight to 10 bakers who spend days in the kitchen preparing cookies, then packaging and delivering them on Christmas morning. The tradition was started as a way to thank those who must work during the holiday.

"Every year, the synagogue thanks the first responders, police, fire department, local hospitals. We bake cookies because the people who have to work on Christmas should have some kind of reward," said volunteer Susan Anmuth.

Lurie said the idea grew out of a sense of fairness during the holidays.

"We have all of these first responders, we have people in hospitals, we have people who don't get to be with their own families during the holiday, and we should recognize that," he said.

Inside the synagogue, volunteers organized boxes and assigned deliveries before heading out. Stops included police departments, fire departments and hospitals in Cheltenham, Abington, Rockledge, Jenkintown and Northeast Philadelphia. At each location, volunteers offered greetings and thanks.

Their first delivery was to the Cheltenham Police Department, where officers welcomed the surprise.

"A lot of the officers are working today, there's a lot of people working away from their families, this is a really nice gesture and we're really grateful for that," the police chief said.

For volunteers, the reactions make the long hours worthwhile.

"It's wonderful, it's wonderful to see their expression and it makes us feel good because these are the people in the community who help us," Anmuth said.

Lurie said the tradition reflects the synagogue's values.

"That's what synagogues should be about: giving back," he said. "And I'm so proud of my colleagues for 20 years now we've been doing this, and it's really what it ought to be about."