Lesson's Learned: Jewish Culture
Within the Jewish Culture there are many traditional holidays. One popular holiday is the "Passover." This holiday is celebrated to remember the story in Exodus and when Moses lead his people out of Egypt and away from slavery. Many Jewish individuals will hold a large feast in remembrance of the sacred day. Within the Jewish Culture the Passover holiday last for about 7-8 days (depending on where the Jewish individual lives) and there is a specific order for all events throughout the holiday. The Passover "Seder" is a ritual feast that usually marks the start of the Passover holiday. During this feast many gather together both friends and family to share ancient stories of the land of Israel and eat traditional foods in celebration of their freedom.
Another Jewish Cultural practice I researched this week, was Jewish beliefs regarding the Sabbath Day. Each week, their Holy Day begins from sundown on Friday evening until Saturday at sundown. During their "Holy Day" it is thought to be forbidden to perform certain "work" tasks. Additionally, it's believed that they are not allowed to request others to perform work for them. But they are allowed to give hints in what they need. Work tasks include initiating the flow of electricity, such as: turning on a light switch, pushing the call light, changing the bed position, operating a PCA pump, etc. They are not allowed to engage in any work-related activity/task. The Sabbath day is a very sacred and holy day for Jewish individuals. Thus it's important to be respectful to Jewish people who choose to worship on those days.
#nursingbyCOURTNEY.... How to apply this knowledge to your nursing care
While not all Jewish individuals will practice strict Sabbath Day restrictions or participate in the Passover holiday, it's important to let people practice how they choose. Caring for patients of different nationalities and beliefs will involve knowing their religious and cultural backgrounds. It's important as nurses to understand what restraints cultures may have to be able to understand how to proceed with care. By understanding what and why they believe certain things will be helpful in knowing how to give these patients the best care possible. For example, we will better be able to pick up on hints they give in regards to helping them in tasks they need during the Sabbath. Also knowing about their Sabbath Day beliefs will help us to remember not to schedule medical procedures during this time (unless they are emergent) or discharging without prior consent.
Courtney's "Two-Cent's"
Learning about the Jewish Culture has been very interesting. Not only did I learn more about their Sabbath Day beliefs and holiday practices, I also learned about their dietary restrictions. It was interesting to know that there are forbidden animals that they are not allowed to eat. This restriction includes refraining from eating the organs, flesh, milk and eggs of the forbidden animal. Along with these restrictions there are specific ways to eat accepted animals. The Jewish law states that, "birds or mammals must be killed in accordance to the Jewish law and all blood must be drained from the meat or cooked out of it before it is eaten." It is also believed that the meat of the mammal must not be eaten with dairy. Because of the restriction of not eating meat with dairy, the utensils that came in contact with either the dairy or meat must not be used. However, it is considered acceptable to eat fruit, vegetables, grains, eggs, and fish with their meat.
There are many other rules and regulations of the Jewish diet, so it will be very important to have a background knowledge of common Jewish beliefs. Regardless of different opinions on how the Jewish practice their beliefs, as a health care providers we need to be considerate and respectful. Also I think it would be a good nursing practice to first ask, before assuming all Jew's believe and practice the same. I believe that the more we get to know our patients, we will be able to understand their personal beliefs and practices, and know better how to accommodate to their personal needs.
References:
http://dinolingo.com/blog/2011/05/04/israeli-culture-for-children/#.WCdzV-ErKAw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover_Seder
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Article/Care-of-the-Orthodox-Jewish-Patient.aspx
http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Projects/Reln91/Blood/Judaism/kashrut/kashrut.htm
Picture taken from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bar_Mitzvah_a_Jewish_culture.jpg
http://www.cute-calendar.com/event/european-day-of-jewish-culture/19203.html
http://forward.com/news/132609/jewish-nursing-homes-embracing-a-new-model-of-care/
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