JHC Medicine and Health Hero
Medicine and Health
The Jewish obligation to heal has long been a core value of Jewish faith and communal life. During the large wave of Jewish immigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jewish medical practitioners and philanthropists created a landscape of care attuned to the growing Jewish community. Advocates believed the Jewish community would be best served by facilities offering culturally and religiously sensitive care, including kosher food, Yiddish-speaking providers, and social services tailored to Jewish needs. Jewish women’s groups were especially active fundraisers. In 1902, Mount Sinai, a small outpatient clinic on Chambers Street, opened as the first Jewish hospital in Boston. Since then, numerous Jewish institutions have provided vital medical services across the region. As these collections demonstrate, Jewish doctors, nurses, administrators and supporters have worked hard to provide the best possible care to the greatest number of patients.
