Jewish Nursing in Frankfurt am Main
Nursing (Hebrew: Bik(k)ur-Cholim = visiting the sick) is one of the most important instructions in the Jewish religion and social ethics because it serves to preservation and sanctification of life. In Frankfurt am Main up to the Nazi-Era one of Germany’s largest Jewish communities lived and worked. From 1870 onwards the active work of foundations that arose from the Jewish middle class forged a modern hospital system, which attracted Christian patients as well. The exemplary training of Jewish nurses in Frankfurt served as a model of nursing education; a number of nurses trained in Frankfurt assumed leadership roles in nursing institutions in other cities and communities.