It's finally spring! And with this season we celebrate the holiday of Passover. Passover has an impact on us as nurses. We care for people of all ages and different Jewish backgrounds. If we think about our own experiences as nurses, patients and family members of patients, a lot comes to mind in connection to Passover. We encourage you to read an interesting article about nursing homes and the Jewish patient during Passover. Click here to read.

The story of Miriam is particularly appropriate for this time. She was a skilled midwife. Miriam's greatness lay in her incredible kindness, and particularly the most fundamental gift — of life. Miriam saw life as being inherently valuable and did everything in her power to support and nurture people. Her appreciation for the value of life was extraordinary. God rewarded her with the Well, which nourished the Jewish people as they crossed the desert. She was strong, courageous and had the wisdom to stand up for her beliefs. So many of us are faced with situations in which we must be "Miriam". The world presents new challenges to us daily.

As nurses, we follow in Miriam's footsteps by taking care of each other, our families and our patients. We are one people and our destinies are intertwined. We are a family of many who celebrate each other's joys and turn to each other in times of sorrow. How many of us have said how thankful they have been for their Hadassah family? Jewish women and nurses throughout history have had a strong legacy of working together to make our collective voices, experiences and traditions echo from generation to generation. L'Dor L'dor. All we need to do is look and listen to the shadows of the past. The power of nurses has improved the lives of those directly impacted and acts as inspiration for countless other women.

Celebrating Nurses
It's appropriate that not long after Passover, we'll be commemorating National Nurses Day on May 6. One wonderful way to celebrate nurses this month is by giving your support to the Nurses Council and making a difference in the lives of our colleagues in Israel by donating a Keeper for Nursing gift. All money raised from this initiative goes to support The Henrietta Szold Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Nursing Clinical Master's Program. Contact Robin Shuman: rshuman@hadassah.org.

We also wanted to share with you a message from one of our more active Councils:

"Founded in 1991, the Greater Detroit Nurses Council has grown to include over 80 members, including LPNs, RNs, NPs and DNPs working in all areas of healthcare. Our mission is multifaceted: to provide support to the nurses at the Hadassah Hospitals in Jerusalem, to provide educational programs for our members, to fundraise to help maintain HMO and Hadassah school of nursing master's degree program.

Twice a year, in partnership with Henry Ford Hospital, we invite prominent local health professionals to speak about their research, health care innovations, and healthy lifestyle trends. Topics have included — Code Blueberry: Food as Medicine; If Opiates Are Not the Answer, What Is?; Human Trafficking: Implications for Healthcare Professionals; Not Your Mother's Diabetes Treatment; Antibiotic Stewardship; Resolving Different Ethics Cases; Equianalgesia: Rotating Opioids Makes Me Dizzy; Innovations in Pancreatic Care; and Meditation for Nurses. Nursing staffs from nearby community hospitals and extended care facilities are invited to attend these programs.

Many thanks to Linda Belkin, RN, Steering Committee Chair; Randee Bloom, RN, MBA, PhD, Treasurer; Emily Morgan, Administrative Assistant; all members of the Greater Detroit Hadassah Nurses Council and Carol Ogusky, President."

Some Suggested Reading
Finally, we wanted to bring your attention to some articles we hope you'll find interesting:

• Making Wise Choices in Health Provision: Initial Exploration of Nurse Perceptions in Israel, Journal of Nursing Care Quality, vol. 3, no. 4.
• Israeli Staff Nurse Knowledge and Perception of the Nurse Practitioner Role, The Nurse Practitioner, vol. 43, no. 12.
• Agism and Burnout Among Nurses in Long-Term Care Facilities in Israel, Aging & Mental Health Journal, vol. 21, no. 3.
• Palestinian Nurses' Lived Experiences Working in the Occupied West Bank, International Nursing Review, vol. 64.

Wishing you and your loved ones a joyous, meaningful Passover,

Nancy Rapoport & Susan Lafer
Co-Chairs, Hadassah Nurses Council

PS: We'd love to year how you're commemorating Nurses Day. Tell us about it on Facebook.