Since 1980, the Pinch Hitters program has been a wonderful opportunity for us to give something back to the Atlanta community. Pinch Hitters is B’nai B’rith’s annual community service project where volunteers from the Atlanta Jewish Community “go to bat” for non-medical hospital personnel on Christmas Day. We are delighted to announce that we are going to serve the community with the Pinch Hitter Program live and in person this year! Our volunteers work in four-hour shifts so our Christian brethren can spend the holiday at home with their families. Pinch Hitters is organized by the Achim/Gate City (Atlanta) Lodge #0144 of B’nai B’rith International.
Get the Atlanta Jewish Connector Weekly Magazines
and never miss the best stories and events!
subscribe now
In past years, thousands of volunteers like you helped make our Pinch Hitter Program better and better. Two hundred volunteers participated as Pinch Hitters on Christmas Day 2024. Here is an MSNBC report on the 2024 Pinch Hitters program.
This year, we will work in three to four-hour shifts at seven hospitals and assisted living facilities, and we need your help. You can sign up online at
www.pinchhitters.org to choose your preferred hospital and shift. This is a fun activity for families.
Pinch Hitters Lauren Moret and Sandy Rothbard at the Marcus Trauma Center, Christmas Day 2024.
Pinch Hitters Fran Cullen and Sara Grubel at the VA, Christmas Day 2024.
Pinch Hitters Carolyn Dinberg, Mike Levin, Sharon Hochdorf, Steve Dinberg at Dunwoody Place, Christmas Day 2024.
Pinch Hitters Cindy Sedran, David Rosenthal, and Milt Rosenthal at Berman Commons, Christmas Day, 2024.
Pinch Hitters Rodney Eberhardt and Jenna Schulman at Historic Roswell Place, Christmas Day 2024.
Pinch Hitters Carole Masters, Leslie Penuel, Gil Lyons at Historic Roswell Place, Christmas Day 2024.
You can choose a shift at one of the seven facilities:
Shifts generally run from 8 to 11 (early morning), 11 to 2 (mid-day), or 2 to 5 (afternoon). Note that these times are approximate and will vary by facility and/or department. You can see the approximate time for each facility on the website. You will be notified by your volunteer coordinator for the facility where you are assigned of your actual reporting time.
Please review the available slots on the website (
www.pinchhitters.org) and click on the button to sign up for your choice of time and location. Once you click the button to sign up, notice the box at the bottom right corner of your screen that says “Got it!” You will need to click that box and accept the cookies from this site to see and click the Save & Continue button at the bottom of your screen. Once you do this, you can complete your sign-up.
We hope that you will choose to join us on Thursday, December 25, 2025, and help us provide a mitzvah at one of the hospitals or assisted living facilities listed above!
The program costs us over $2,500 to put on. Would you like to include a tax-deductible contribution to keep the Pinch Hitters Program a success? Your donation will help us defray our costs for mailings, supplies, advertising, and shirts for our volunteers. Please mail a check, payable to B’nai B’rith, to Harry Lutz, 1748 Corners Cove, Dunwoody, GA 30338.
A special thank you to our sponsors who have come aboard so far this year. Thank you for your continued support:
- Capital Investment Advisors
- Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage – Debbie Sonenshine
- Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care
- Ilene & Adrian Grant
- Kessler & Solomiany Family Law Attorneys
- Northwestern Mutual – Bill and Daniel Loventhal
- Siegel Insurance Group – Auto-Owners Insurance
- Sandy Sarlin
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Harry Lutz, Chairman of the B’nai B’rith Pinch Hitter Program at 678- 485-8179 or
hslutz_fsa@yahoo.com for more information.
* B’nai B’rith is an exempt organization under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations may be deductible. Consult your tax professional.
About Pinch Hitters:
To Christians, Christmas is one of their 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 from work. Since 1980, the Pinch Hitter Program has been a wonderful opportunity for Jewish Atlanta to give back to the larger community. The Pinch Hitter Program is our annual community service project where volunteers from the Atlanta Jewish community “go to bat” for non-medical healthcare workers on Christmas Day. In the spirit of the season, B’nai B’rith members and the Jewish community at large will replace Christian workers in hospitals, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes, allowing them to spend the day with their families. Employees from these facilities benefit from this gesture of goodwill.
Pinch Hitters is organized by the Achim/Gate City (Atlanta) Lodge #0144 of B’nai B’rith International and the B’nai B’rith Center for Community Action.
While we have gained some local publicity from local newspapers and television stations, the program has also gained some national attention. The Pinch Hitter Program was awarded the
335th Presidential Point of Light Service Award by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Additionally, the program was featured in a December 1998 issue of Family Circle magazine.
This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and Atlanta Jewish Connector assumes no responsibility for them. Want to add your voice to the conversation? Publish your own post here.
