In a twist on the “bring your kids to work” day, 75 children, sons and daughters of the men and women who work in Hadassah’s two campuses, were invited on the Friday of Hanukkah to see the place where Mom and Dad spend so many hours.

Dressed in scrubs, caps, and gloves, like many of their parents, the children took private tours of the operating rooms. One group even came out with fake IVs glued to their hands.

Asked about what they thought their parents did all day in the hospital, they gave answers that were reminiscent of the old Art Linkletter’s Children’s show. How exactly could Daddy put other people to sleep when he had such a hard time getting them to bed? And why did the people need to sleep anyway? Operating Nurse Judy Essuied asked all the children what they wanted to be when they grew up. A fair number chose medical professions, but fireman was still a favorite.

The innovative Hadassah staff kids’ program is being copied by hospitals around the country.