About Pinch Hitters

To Christians, Christmas is one of the most sacred holidays. It is a day of worship, goodwill and celebration. Businesses close for the day and employees spend the holiday with their loved ones. In hospitals, nursing homes, police stations, and fire stations throughout the country; however, employees must report to work. The business of caring for the sick and injured and responding to victims of unfortunate situations is a daily task, with no regard for a holiday schedule.

While the Jewish community does not celebrate Christmas, many Jews have this holiday off of work. In the spirit of the season, B’nai B’rith members and the Jewish community at large will replace Christian hospital workers, allowing them to spend the day with their families. Employees from these hospitals can benefit from this gesture of goodwill.

The Pinch Hitter Program (also known as Operation Brotherhood and Operation Snowflake), is a B’nai B’rith Center for Community Action program that was conceived some fifty years ago as a project to allow Christian workers in non-critical municipal and community service jobs to celebrate their Christmas holiday with their families. Each year B’nai B’rith provides more than 1,000 volunteers to work in local police departments, hospitals, nursing homes and children and senior citizens facilities during the Christmas holiday.

For instance, in Atlanta, Georgia, more than 600 volunteers work in several area hospitals. On Long Island, New York, volunteers have served as nurse’s aides, kitchen cooks, telephone operators, information clerks and clerks in coffee/thrift shops in local hospitals. All across the country in Albuquerque, Dallas, Houston, Los Alamos, Providence, and Seattle to name just a few cities and even in countries such as South Africa, B’nai B’rith members have demonstrated their concern and interest in Pinch Hitters.