The Orthodox Jewish Nurses Association held their first annual conference at the Teaneck Jewish Center on Thursday, May 19. The conference drew nurses primarily from the metropolitan area but others also joined from Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Florida and Indiana. Over a hundred people gathered in anticipation of what was expected to be an impressive lineup of speakers addressing various issues of shared interest.
Rivka Pomerantz, RN, founder and president of OJNA, started the association with a Facebook page so that Orthodox Jewish nurses like her could find support and answers to problematic issues. After a few years, along with her colleagues Goldie Burstein, RN, Linda Segel, RN, and L’via Weisinger, RN, they officially incorporated the organization a few months ago. While there have been conferences in the past geared toward Orthodox nurses, this was the first under the banner of OJNA.