Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins Friday, September 11. Jews worldwide will gather for prayer, ritual, and celebration — including eating apples dipped in honey to symbolize hope for a sweet year.
The High Holidays start with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and proceeds to Yom Kippur, a day of atonement, concluding with Sukkot and Simchat Torah. These are some of the most important Jewish holy days of the year, and workplace leaders are asking how they can accommodate the needs of their Jewish employees as they observe the High Holidays this year.
I caught up with Jake Campbell, Program Manager of Culture and Belonging at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, Kentucky, to hear how he celebrates Rosh Hashanah, what it means at St. Elizabeth to go beyond accommodations to a “culture of curiosity,” and what advice he has for those just starting out on their journey toward religious inclusion at work.
Editor’s note: The following conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Megan Johnson: What does Rosh Hashanah mean to you?
Jake Campbell: Rosh Hashanah is a time of renewal. It is also a time of looking back. As the last month of the Jewish calendar begins, we’re meant to be looking back and taking stock, thinking about where we want to be next year and of what we did well in the past year and what we could have done better, especially in the way that we treated each other. And, you know, it is a time of celebration to mark the new year and eat sweet things so that we can begin what is hopefully going to be a sweet year.
MJ: You mention renewal. How do the themes of Rosh Hashanah connect with your workplace?
JC: What I appreciate about St. Elizabeth’s values is two values in particular. We have innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect and excellence. And respect and accountability especially invite us to ensure that we are accountable to each other and that we hold respect and dignity for each other, which I think very much is an example of what the spirit of this next month really is about.
MJ: What shared values have you found across Jewish and Catholic traditions?
JC: In Judaism, we have the idea of B’tzelem Elohim, treating everybody with inherent dignity because they were made in the image of God, which is exactly the same as the Catholic idea of Imago Dei. And that is so central to the work that we do as a Catholic health care ministry, that it’s tied to the very core of our mission with how we work with vulnerable populations, which in itself is very similar to the Jewish idea of both Tikun Olam, Repairing the World, and I would argue Tzedakah, better translated as justice, but thought of as charity.
MJ: What has it been like to be Jewish, and celebrate Jewish traditions, in a Catholic healthcare system?
JC: After having worked in several Jewish organizations, I had a little bit of fear about going into a non-Jewish organization and what that would mean about having to possibly compromise or hide my Magan David (Star of David) or just not be authentically who I am. And that hasn’t been a part of it at all. Rather, people have been curious. They’ve asked about what I eat, when I eat it, what are the nuances? At St. Elizabeth, curiosity shines in the system. I haven’t had to think differently about my values working within the mission department of a Catholic healthcare system. Rather I can be authentically Jewish because I’m working for a Catholic healthcare system.
I haven’t had to think differently about my values working within the mission department of a Catholic healthcare system. Rather I can be authentically Jewish because I’m working for a Catholic healthcare system.
MJ: What advice do you have for workplace leaders who are just starting out on their journey of engaging religious diversity?
JC: In many non-Jewish organizations, the number one frustration that Jews have is not having enough PTO for their holidays, yet at the same time being forced to take-off for Christian holidays. And that is just not the case at St. Elizabeth, where I have the flexibility to use Christmas as a time to work and replace that perhaps with a Rosh Hashanah or a Yom Kippur. So having that flexibility around PTO is probably the most powerful accommodation during the High Holiday period that you can have as an organization.
You also want to ensure that you’re not only making it so that people can take off, but that important days are also days where you do not leave people behind. If someone can’t go to a meeting because they are out of the office observing their holiday, they will not feel as though they belong.
Ensure that you’re not only making it so that people can take off, but that important days are also days where you do not leave people behind.
One other thing that Saint Elizabeth does very well, particularly our pastoral and spiritual care team, is that they will not only do spiritual reflections for Catholic holidays, but during holiday periods, be it for Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, etc. they will find associates to share reflections for those spiritual days with the whole system as well. And that is an example of celebration as much as any other.
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Accommodating the needs of religiously diverse employees is critical, but it’s only the beginning. Religious inclusion in the workplace is transformative when organizations move from accommodation toward a culture of curiosity and connection across our differences. Religious holidays give workplaces a great opportunity to do just that.
Megan Johnson
Megan Johnson is the Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at Interfaith America.
