O pinion
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 1933-2020
BY ELEANOR LEVIE
HOW DO WE HONOR Ruth
Bader Ginsburg, a role model
like no other? Her values and
empathetic feminism resonated
deeply within my psyche. In
fact, I can’t think of a single
Jewish woman who didn’t take
pride in her and feel a strong
connection to her.

Yes, we hailed her with
that rapper-inspired nickname
— the Notorious R.B.G. Our
coffee mugs and tote bags
sported her wittiest quotes.

Many of us women — and a few
men, too — found occasion to
masquerade with a slick-backed
low ponytail, geek-chic glasses,
lace collar and black robe. As
a longtime volunteer for the
National Council of Jewish
Women, I dressed like Justice
Ginsburg on more than one
occasion to bring home, with
a little good humor, the lesson
that courts matter.

I remember seeing Ginsburg
in person in March 2001 at
NCJW’s Washington Institute,
when she accepted our Faith
and Humanity Award. She was
only recently in remission from
colon cancer, frail, her voice
low on volume and register. But
she spoke with utter conviction
and clarity about commitment
to social justice as a respon-
sibility, especially for Jewish
women. Ginsburg’s background is a
quintessential Jewish story. A
child of an immigrant father, she
would one day quip, “What is the
difference between a bookkeeper
in New York’s garment district
and a Supreme Court justice?”
and answer, “One generation.”
The product of public schools,
she knew she had to work harder
than anyone else to get ahead
and would still face sexism and
anti-Semitism. Raised in an
observant Jewish home, she went
to Hebrew school, and played
the role of a rabbi at summer
camp. Coming of age during the
aftermath of the Holocaust, she
was keenly aware of our collec-
tive obligation to fight for the
oppressed. Even in turning away from
traditional Judaism, she invoked
a sense of justice. At 17 she sat
shiva for her mother, and noted
that neither her presence nor “a
house full of women” allowed
for a prayer service, because
they lacked the 10 men required
for a minyan. Indeed, discrim-
ination on the basis of sex was
her most frequent target.

She fought discrimination on
the basis of other categorizations
as well. She was a champion for
the LGTBQ community, for
immigrants, for workers, for
disenfranchised minorities and
for the most vulnerable among
us. She defended freedom of
religion and reproductive justice,
the right to health care and
the right to vote. Her powerful
words over the years, especially
in those moments when she
spoke so eloquently in dissent,
helped push our laws and our
nation toward equality, freedom
and opportunity.

Ginsburg was 60 years
old when she was confirmed
to the Supreme Court, after
serving on the D.C. Court
of Appeals and after a long
career as professor at Rutgers
and Columbia, and before that,
as a powerhouse litigator for
the ACLU. These days, newly
appointed federal judges are,
on average, in their 40s, with
far less experience under their
belts. Whether seated on the
district courts, the appellate
courts or the Supreme Court,
these are lifetime positions,
and we can expect that these
younger judges will be making
decisions from the bench for
decades. Now, we cannot simply
mourn. What we can do is
tell our senators, who advise
and consent on federal judicial
nominations, that any nominee
to fill RBG’s vacancy should be
properly vetted, and thoroughly
reviewed. The nomination
process must be dignified
and respectful. We have the
right to a justice with strong
moral character, integrity and
independence. A justice who
recognizes the hardships of
everyday Americans.

We ourselves get to vote
on the other two branches of
our government. To honor
Ginsburg’s legacy, we must
recognize our right and our
responsibility to thoughtfully
review the candidates, and cast
our ballots for those who share
our values.

We owe it to the memory of
Justice Ginsburg. l
Eleanor Levie is a volunteer
advocate for the National Council
of Jewish Women and chair of
NCJW-PA’s BenchMark: NCJW’s
Campaign for Federal Judicial
Nominations. Holocaust Survey Results Demonstrate We Have Work to Do
BY MID-ATLANTIC MEDIA
EDITORIAL BOARD
IT IS MORE THAN seven
decades since the end of the
Holocaust. The number of
precious survivors continues
to diminish, even as we pledge
to never forget. Numerous
impressive projects have been
undertaken to record the history
of one of the world’s darkest
chapters and combat the lies of
Holocaust deniers, and numerous
educational programs have been
established to teach the history
and lessons of the Shoah. Yet we
seem to be forgetting.

According to a study released
last week by the Conference on
Jewish Material Claims Against
Germany (Claims Conference),
there is a particular problem
with Americans under 40.

According to the report:
14 SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
March, is the first to drill
down to the state level. Young
adults in Wisconsin scored the
highest for Holocaust knowl-
edge; Arkansas the lowest.

Pennsylvania was in the top 10.

There was one important
omission from the study: The
District of Columbia was not
included. When asked why, a
Claims Conference representa-
tive explained that the District’s
706,000 citizens were not polled
because D.C. is not a state.

On a more positive note, the
survey found that two-thirds
of respondents said they first
learned about the Holocaust in
school. That underscores the
critical role that schools play
in Holocaust education, and
highlights the importance of
efforts, legislative and other-
The national
survey, wise, to advance Holocaust
conducted in February and curricula that outline the
• Sixty-three percent of all
respondents said they did
not know that six million
Jews were murdered in the
Holocaust. • Forty-eight percent couldn’t
name a death camp, a
concentration camp or a
ghetto. • Twenty-three
percent selected one of the following
choices when asked, “Which
of the following statements
comes closest to your views
about the Holocaust in
Europe during World War
Two?”: “The Holocaust is a
myth and did not happen”;
“The Holocaust happened,
but the number of Jews who
died in it has been greatly
exaggerated”; “Not sure.”
JEWISH EXPONENT
enormity of the Holocaust and
provide meaningful context for
students to build upon during
their lifetimes.

Surveys like this are practi-
cally guaranteed to raise concern
in the Jewish community, as
this one has — and for good
reason. But while it is true that
10% of respondents answered:
“I do not believe the Holocaust
happened” or “Not sure if the
Holocaust happened,” we also
know the same percentage of
Americans believe vaccines
cause autism and that the 1969
moon landing was staged. And
in a recent survey, close to 10%
said racial discrimination it is
not a problem in the United
States. So, maybe the 10%
outlier number in this survey
isn’t so unusual.

In almost all respects,
however, the survey results are
upsetting. That means we need
to do a better job of educating
our broader community about
the Holocaust and its devas-
tation. No one else is going
to tell the story. No one else
feels the pain and the loss like
our community. So let’s pledge
to focus on our promise not
to forget, and do everything
we can to promote Holocaust
education, and to help the world
understand the origins and the
meaning of “Never again.” l
Mid-Atlantic Media provides
editorial services for the Jewish
Exponent and publishes
Washington Jewish Week and
Baltimore Jewish Times, among
other publications. Its editorial
board is composed of media
owners and journalists from
Washington, D.C., Maryland and
Philadelphia. JEWISHEXPONENT.COM