A Diversity Message From Neil Meltzer - April 2018

April is National Arab American Heritage Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the heritage and contributions of Arab Americans. Arab Americans and Americans of Middle Eastern heritage have a long history in the United States. They represent a variety of backgrounds and beliefs, cultures and faiths, and have contributed to the country in many ways such as through the arts and sciences, politics and education.

On April 1, Christians around the world will observe Easter. It is considered the most important Christian holiday because it celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the central event in Christianity. To celebrate Easter, in addition to participating in religious services, many Americans also will hold egg hunts, decorate eggs, and enjoy festive meals with family and friends. In other parts of the world, Easter traditions include pouring water on one another (in Poland), pot throwing (in Corfu, Greece), and reading crime novels or Easter thrillers (in Norway).

The Jewish holiday, Passover, ends on the evening of April 7 (the eight-day festival began at sundown March 30). Passover is the Jewish celebration of God liberating the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. According to tradition, when the Pharaoh refused to heed Moses' request to release the Israelites, God inflicted ten plagues upon the ancient Egyptians, "passing over" the houses of the Israelites before the Pharaoh released his Israelite slaves. Every year, Jewish people around the world celebrate this gift of freedom by coming together to share the story of Passover and a ceremonial meal called a Seder.

April 22 is a day to "go green" in recognition of Earth Day. First held in the United States in 1970 and now recognized in more than 193 countries, Earth Day is dedicated to raising public awareness of environmental issues and ways to keep the environment safe.  There are so many ways that we can "go green," such as recycling more items, reducing energy use and eating more locally grown foods.  LifeBridge Health has a "Green Team" that meets monthly to look for ways to reduce energy and save resources across the organization.

At LifeBridge Health we celebrate both what makes us diverse and unique, and what makes us the same - our shared purpose of caring for communities together.