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KINGSTON &mdash; It wasn&rsquo;t much of a leap for Rabbi David Kaplan to connect a ceremonial shelter used to celebrate a Jewish holiday with the role of police.
				With aplomb Kaplan linked the biblical and the secular with a thin blue line during a &ldquo;Faith & Blue Ceremony&rdquo; Friday at the Friedman Jewish Community Center.
				Kaplan of the Congregation Ohav Zedek in Wilkes-Barre stood in front of sukkah or hut with bamboo covering its roof and told the police officers from local departments in attendance at the outdoor event it protected the Jewish people in their exodus from Egypt.
				&ldquo;And that is really why we&rsquo;re here today, because you are the men and women of the blue. You&rsquo;re our protection, our divine covering where you literally will throw your bodies, your lives and insert them between us and evil doers and we are so grateful,&rdquo; Kaplan said.
				Having family in law enforcement, Gary Bernstein said he knew a little bit about their jobs.
				Bernstein, chief executive officer of the Jewish Community Alliance of Northeastern Pennsylvania, moved to the area from New York earlier this year. He said his father had been head of security at the United Nations and a close cousin was an undercover officer in the New York City Police Department.
				&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of symbolism with this sukkah today, especially during our holiday of Sukkot,&rdquo; Bernstein pointed out. The holiday celebrates the harvest and the divine protection provided to jews as they wandered in the desert for 40 years.
				&ldquo;Well, it&rsquo;s kind of like you guys, you gals,&rdquo; Bernstein said. &ldquo;You help protect us in good times and bad.&rdquo;
				The ceremony was a show of appreciation through song, scripture and sustenance. The officers and guests were invited to step inside the sukkah, in place to mark Sukkot, for coffee and doughnuts.
				It accomplished its intended purpose, said Plains Township Police Chief Dale Binker. He was among the handful of officers on hand.
				&ldquo;This was a nice event that we got invited to and I wish more places would. It was beautiful event they put on. The singing was really nice,&rdquo; Binker said.
				The &ldquo;Thank You&rdquo; offered by Kaplan on behalf of the Jewish community and the others who participated in the ceremony meant a lot to the officers.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to get appreciated,&rdquo; said Plains Township Police Lt. Richard Lussi.
				Officers from Edwardsville, Hanover Township, Kingston, Plains Township, Wilkes-Barre and the Pennsylvania State Police attended.
				Joining Kaplan in the program were his daughter, Saraea, who blew the Shofar, Rabbi Larry Kaplan and Cantor Ahron Abraham of Temple Israel in Wilkes-Barre, Rabbi Eric Mollo of Temple B&rsquo;nai B&rsquo;rith in Kingston, Rev. Bob Zanicky of the First Presbyterian Church in Wilkes-Barre and his wife, Pastor Shawn Zanicky of the First Welsh Presbyterian Church of Edwardsville.

JCC holds Faith & Blue ceremony in show of appreciation to area police