Every holiday season, the Muslim community in Kansas City spreads a simple yet powerful message: “We are all humans.”

Through the Kansas City Dialogue Institute, volunteers prepare and deliver over 400 boxes of homemade baklava to neighbors, churches, synagogues, and nonprofits, KCUR reported.

The tradition, now in its tenth year, is a gesture of gratitude and a celebration of shared humanity that transcends cultural and religious boundaries.

📚 Read Also: Muslim Converts and the Xmas Blues – A Counselor’s Tips

In a small kitchen in Shawnee, Kansas, women grind walnuts, melt butter, and prepare phyllo dough for baklava, a sweet pastry with origins in the Middle East and Mediterranean.

Serpil Taslama, a Dialogue Institute volunteer, explains the labor-intensive process as the women roll and bake the dough. The finished pastries are golden, flaky, and soaked in light syrup, ready to be gifted.

“We want to celebrate with you,” says Taslama. “If you are celebrating Christmas, we give baklava and say, ‘Merry Christmas.’ If it’s Chanukah, we say, ‘Happy Chanukah.’ This season is important to you, so it’s important to us.”

Sharing Celebrations

This heartfelt tradition began with a few baklava deliveries to neighbors. Over the years, it has grown into a citywide effort involving hundreds of recipients.

Volunteers also include handmade cards with messages of goodwill, highlighting the season’s spirit of connection.

The act of giving baklava reflects the broader mission of the Dialogue Institute. It aims to promote intercultural and interfaith understanding.

Taslama and other members recall how local families embraced them by inviting them to share meals during Ramadan and including them in Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.

“It’s our way of saying thank you and showing we are all part of the same human family,” she says.

The rich history of baklava mirrors its role as a unifying tradition. While its exact origins are uncertain, the dessert has been shared across cultures for centuries, from the Assyrian Empire to the Ottoman courts.

Today, its recipes vary by region, but its essence—a sweet reminder of togetherness—remains unchanged.

For volunteers like Mine Dogan, the tradition holds personal significance.

“Giving baklava makes us feel connected to our community,” she says. Her children, like many in the Dialogue Institute, have come to understand and appreciate different holidays.

Recipients of the baklava, like Kristin Riegel, a pastor at 2nd Presbyterian Church, value the cultural exchange. During a recent visit, Riegel welcomed the baklava delivery with coffee and fruit, sharing stories about family traditions and life in Kansas City.

“If there’s anything this tradition has taught us, it’s that our shared humanity is something to celebrate,” she says.

Through the simple act of sharing baklava, the Kansas City Dialogue Institute continues to build bridges between cultures and faiths.

Their message is clear: no matter our differences, we are all humans, connected by kindness and the joy of giving.