Holiday helpers: Synagogue offers Christmas meal at Erlanger

Rabbi Susan Tendler passes out plates to people in line.  Members of the Jewish community provided meals for patient's families and staff at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga on Thursday.
Rabbi Susan Tendler passes out plates to people in line. Members of the Jewish community provided meals for patient's families and staff at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga on Thursday.

The Hebrew word "mitzvah" describes a good deed, and many Jews from across the city did just that on Christmas morning.

"We wanted to serve our Christian brothers and sisters today," said Rabbi Susan Tendler from the B'nai Zion Synagogue.

A group of more than 50 members of the Jewish community, many of whom attend B'nai Zion, served a hot lunch and homemade desserts to patients and their families who were at Erlanger hospital on Christmas.

"Anything we can do to make their lives better," Tendler said, as she showed her daughter how to roll silverware into a napkin.

Kids, parents and grandparents stood behind a buffet line, outside of the main hospital cafeteria, filling plates with turkey and dressing, cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, green beans and a slew of different homemade desserts.

The volunteers poured eggnog and punch and greeted everyone who filled the room with a smile and warm greeting.

They shook hands, offered hugs and wished health upon each family.

Micah Hodes, 13, stood at the front of the line and handed out Styrofoam plates.

"We are all here to help, it's as simple as it gets," he said.

Micah came with his father, Andy Hodes, volunteer coordinator for B'nai Zion.

"We are a small Jewish community in Chattanooga, but are trying to make a difference," Andy said.

No one wants to be in the hospital on Christmas Day, he said, everyone would rather have their family members healthy and at home.

He said the congregation decided to serve this meal at Erlanger as a way to help make the day more special for those at the hospital, and they also wanted Christians to be able to celebrate their holy holiday.

Cathy Oldroyd and her husband drove from Blairsville, Ga., to visit her father who was in the hospital.

"We did not expect a meal," Oldroyd said. "It's just so nice."

Throughout the morning, nurses continually thanked the volunteers and repeated how appreciative the families were to have a Christmas lunch.

For family members in the ICU who did not want to leave their loved ones, members of the congregation delivered food to their hospital rooms.

Susan Matzkin, an office manager at the synagogue, said, "Everyone is very appreciative."

Matzkin was bringing food to a woman who did not want to leave her husband alone in the ICU because his blood pressure was very high.

Matzkin said she brought food to another family that had been in the ICU for 20 days.

"Bringing them food was a way to make this day stand out from all of the others," she said.

Matzkin woke up on Christmas morning and baked multiple different desserts to serve to the families along with the meal Erlanger's cafeteria provided.

Jessie Fine, a freshman at Chattanooga State, wandered the halls delivering meals and telling families about the lunch.

"I do a lot of volunteering," Fine said. "Otherwise today I would sit at home and watch a movie and eat Chinese food."

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.

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