A Diversity Message from Neil Meltzer - January 2022

A Diversity Message from Neil Meltzer - January 2022

At LifeBridge Health, we embrace diversity, and these monthly messages are meant to recognize and celebrate the richness of our team members' cultures and that of our country. We celebrate both what makes us diverse and unique, and what makes us the same - our shared purpose of caring for our communities together.

We welcome the year 2022 on January 1, New Year's Day. It's a time for new beginnings and the ever-popular New Year's resolutions. Have you made a New Year's resolution this year? The new year also brings reflection and hopes for the future. I think we all hope for the health and safety of those we care about, including all of you who have been working so valiantly through the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been on this journey together for a long time, and we hope that 2022 brings brighter days for all of us.

January 1 also marks the anniversary of the official opening of Ellis Island, which was considered the "Gateway to America" for millions of people from around the world. Opened in 1892, Ellis Island was an immigration station where foreigners arrived - many from southern and eastern Europe - to escape political oppression and poverty and to seek economic opportunities and a fresh start. By the time the Immigration Act of 1924 curtailed mass immigration, about 12 million people had entered the United States through Ellis Island bringing with them their heritages and traditions, which has contributed to our country's rich culture and diversity.

Orthodox Christians around the world will celebrate Christmas and New Year's Day on January 7 and 14, respectively. These dates are based on the Julian calendar, created by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. (We use the Catholic-created Gregorian calendar, proposed by Latin Pope Gregory in Rome some 1,500 years later). Orthodox Christians will celebrate these holidays with traditions that include attending church services, family gatherings and large feasts.

World Religion Day is recognized on January 16. Created by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'i faith in 1950, the day is designed to promote interfaith understanding. People of diverse cultures and backgrounds celebrate World Religion Day in a variety of ways by, but all share the common theme of respecting other religions and recognizing the common values all faiths share.

January 17 this year is Martin Luther King Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the life and teachings of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (Dr. King's birthday was January 15). Dr. King dedicated his life to achieving equality for all people of color and is best known for his pivotal role in leading the civil rights movement in the 1960s through nonviolent civil disobedience. His valiant efforts and those of his supporters culminated in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and earned him the Nobel Peace Prize that year.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed National Martin Luther King Day of Service into law, transforming the day into a day of service where everyone is encouraged to volunteer and make a positive impact on their communities.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, ensures the killing of millions of Jewish men, women and children and others during the Holocaust will never be forgotten. The day was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations to mark the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi-German concentration and extermination camp in Poland and to commemorate the tragedy of the Holocaust. It gives us an opportunity to honor the lives lost, educate our younger generation about that horrific period and prevent such acts from ever occurring again.

Thank you for the commitment you make every day to CARE BRAVELY and live our LifeBridge Health values.