A Diversity Message from Neil Meltzer - December 2017
At LifeBridge Health, we embrace what makes us diverse and unique as well as what makes us similar. As an organization that is committed to providing care and support for all people, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or class, we take tremendous pride in caring for our communities together-especially during this time of the year.
December is a time for spreading joy, giving and inspiring hope while celebrating the month's culturally unique holidays. 
Also called the "Festival of Lights," Hanukkah ("dedication" in Hebrew) is an eight-day Jewish holiday-which this year begins at sunset on Dec. 12 and ends at sundown on Dec. 20-commemorating the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah is celebrated with the lighting of the nine-branched menorah along with traditional songs, foods (tasty latkes, potato pancakes, jelly doughnuts and the like), prayers, games and gift exchanges. To everyone in the Jewish community, we say "Hanukkah Sameach!" Enjoy this special holiday.
Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, has evolved into a global religious and secular holiday. In keeping with the spirit of the season, it's a time for family and friends to come together and give each other gifts. We wish those of the Christian faith, and everyone who celebrates this wonderful holiday, a very Merry Christmas.
Christmas, of course, is preceded by the season of Advent. People of different Christian faiths and cultures embrace the holiday's message of hope, faith and peace.
First celebrated in 1966, Kwanza is a week-long secular holiday observed by many African Americans from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, culminating in a feast and the exchange of gifts. Its name is inspired by the Swahili phrase "first fruits of the harvest." Kwanza celebrates the seven basic values of African culture: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. The holiday is also a reminder of the enormous contributions of African American culture and heritage to the United States, and it's a time for meaningful reflection and recommitment within the African American community. We at LifeBridge Health happily salute this remarkable holiday.
In many countries, New Year's celebrations begin on the evening of Dec. 31, New Year's Eve, continuing into the early hours of Jan. 1. It is a time of sharing with friends, remembering the past and hoping for good things in the future. New Year's Eve is often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the New Year begins in each time zone and includes traditions such as making resolutions. In the United States, the most iconic New Year's Eve tradition is the dropping of a giant ball in New York City's Times Square, an event watched by millions around the world. Enjoy your end-of-year festivities, but please be safe.
However you celebrate the holidays, be sure to reflect on your blessings, enjoy the company of your loved ones, and do kind deeds for those in need. All the best to each of you as we approach the end of 2017. .