A Diversity Message From Neil Meltzer - March 2019

Dear LifeBridge Health Family,

March is National Women's History Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the contributions of women to our society.  In 1978, the first Women's History Week was celebrated in California when the Sonoma school district held the week to raise awareness of women's important role in shaping our nation. Similar celebrations spread across the country until eventually in 1981, the National Women's History Project formed and successfully lobbied Congress to designate Women's History Week to coincide with International Women's Day on March 8. In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women's History Month in perpetuity.

March 6 is Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning of the six-week Lenten season. On Ash Wednesday, many Christians will attend religious services and receive ashes, meaning the sign of the cross will be lightly rubbed onto the foreheads with ashes. During Lent, some will commit to a 40-day period of fasting, repentance and abstinence of luxuries in order to replicate the 40 days Jesus Christ spent fasting in the desert.

On March 17, you will see many people wearing green attire, shamrocks or green accessories in recognition of St. Patrick's Day. The day commemorates the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, and is a global celebration of the Irish culture. It also coincides with Irish-American Heritage Month, celebrated throughout March in America.

The Jewish holiday Purim (beginning the evening of March 20 and ending at sunset on March 21) commemorates a time when the Jewish people were saved from extermination in ancient Persia. According to the story of Purim, Haman, a high-ranking adviser to King Ahasuerus, sought to kill all Jews in ancient Persia when Mordecai, a Jewish leader, defied the king's order and refused to bow to Haman. To save the Jews, Mordecai persuaded his cousin Esther, a beautiful Jewish woman, to tell the king about the evil plot. Esther initially disguised her Jewish identity from the king and eventually became queen. Despite, the dangerous consequences for herself, she told the king and persuaded him to have Haman hanged.

To celebrate this day of deliverance, the Jewish community will hold feasts, send treats and goodies to family and friends, and give gifts or charity to the poor.

The Pagan holiday of Ostara falls around March 21 in recognition of the Spring Equinox, when the amount of daylight and night are nearly equal. Ostara is one of the four lesser Wiccan holidays.

Also in recognition of the arrival of spring, the Hindu festival Holi takes place March 20 to 21. Commonly known as the Festival of Colors, this two-day festival celebrates fertility, color, love and the triumph of good over evil. It begins with Holika Dahan (on March 20) when people gather in front of a large bonfire that is lit to burn out evil spirits. Then the next morning, on Rangwali Holi (March 21), people participate in a boisterous celebration, throwing handfuls of colored powders at one another, while getting drenched in water. In the United States, a range of Holi events take place in cities across the country.

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.