“We
all share a wish that we can wake up every morning of our lives at home.”
Many
questions can spring from a single commercial. So is the case for The Brooklyn
Ladies. Every so often I hear a commercial mention them and then there is an ad
for some sort of senior care facility. As a Brooklyn lady myself I had never
heard of “these” other Brooklyn ladies so it was time to investigate. As you
will see those Brooklyn ladies are pretty incredible too.
The Metropolitan
Jewish Health System also known as MJHS was established in 1907. There were
four ladies from Brooklyn who were behind its creation. They were: Sarah
Webelovsky, Emma Rosenthal, Sarah Berlin, and Flora Grodin. Their Jewish
heritage encouraged one reaching out into the community to serve in any way you
could. It wasn’t just about giving money but about giving of your time.
As the
story goes, these women could no longer look into the eyes of those who were
old and sick without doing something.
Thus;
“Based
on the values of compassion, dignity and respect, they founded the Brooklyn
Ladies Hebrew Home for the Aged. With the help of charitable support, the home
provided poor, elderly members of the community, regardless of who they were
and where they came from, with quality health care and a place to live in their
time of greatest need.”
With some
great success I might add.
The
current MJHS is funded by yearly grants that come from the appropriately named
MJHS Foundation. They are all private donations made during the year or at
fundraisers. The current annual budget is around eight hundred million dollars
for which they serve all five boroughs of New York City and around fifty
thousand people.
“Our
centers for rehabilitation and nursing care have been called the gold standard
for modern rehabilitation and nursing care, our palliative care specialists are
leaders in effective pain management. And, as pioneers of end of life care in
New York, we continue to provide the most innovative hospice care for both
adults and children.”
This
legacy has spawn similar groups. A good example is Home First, one of the
longest managed full time care plans in N.Y. They too “provide members of the
community with quality health care and a safe, comfortable place to live in
their time of greatest need.” After all when you are elderly and/or ill it is
most important to feel cared for and safe. To be able to give someone such a
gift is life affirming.
For those
with a special interest there is currently a “rare Brooklyn Hebrew Home and
Hospital meal token” available for purchase on eBay (see last link below.) The
asking price is a reasonable one hundred and ninety-nine dollars.
The only
remaining questions I have pertain to the women themselves. For instance why
aren’t their names mentioned out right on MJHS’s website? That dumbfounded and
appalled me. I had to turn to Twitter to find their names out.
Additionally,
as I attempted to seek out information about those Four Brooklyn Ladies nothing
turned up on any of my subsequent internet searches. That is such a shame.
There really needs to be a book published about them.
I would
love information on their backgrounds and families. I believe that would give a
fuller picture of these women who created an establishment that remains in
existence to this very day.
I believe
it says something profoundly deeper about our society when women innovators are
lumped together as “The Four Brooklyn Ladies” without providing their names for
their individual achievements. Apparently we are willing to claim them for
their work but not as people. I wonder if they had been four Brooklyn men would
the same hold true.
Either
way they held true to their mission, providing:
“A tradition of caring every
minute, every day.”
………for
everyone.
For More
Information:
Comments
Post a Comment