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



O pinion
It’s Time to Stand and Be Counted
BY ARLENE FICKLER
THIS WEEK, we celebrated
Rosh Hashanah, marking the
beginning of the year 5781. As
I reflect back on the year that
ended and look forward to the
year ahead, I think that these
years will be remembered as ones
in which we engaged in much
counting: How many people
have been infected with the
coronavirus? How many people
have died from that illness? How
many days have passed since we
last went to our workplaces, or
our schools, or our synagogues
physically and not virtually?
How long has it been since we
by responding to the census on
behalf of our households, if we
haven’t already done so, and by
urging others to do the same.

Please reach out to everyone
you know — workplace
colleagues and employees;
clients, customers and patients;
synagogue congregants; school
teachers and students’ parents;
friends and family members
— to remind them that the
deadline to respond to the
census is Sept. 30, a date that is
rapidly approaching.

Unfortunately, with
little time remaining until
the deadline, only 55% of
Philadelphia’s households have
responded to the census. That’s
potentially devastating not
only to Philadelphia’s repre-
sentation in Congress but,
potentially more significantly,
to the billions of dollars that
are annually allocated to our
communities by the federal
government. For the next 10 years, the
federal government will rely on
the collected 2020 census data
special education, Head Start,
after-school programs and
classroom technology.

In the context of food
insecurity, a Jewish Federation
priority, census data will
control funds available under
the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program known as
SNAP, as well as for free and
reduced-price school lunches.

The 2020 census data will be
particularly important because
it will be used in determining
the distribution of funds for
pandemic recovery.

As the arm of the Jewish
Federation of
Greater Philadelphia devoted to
public policy education and
advocacy, government affairs
and community relations, the
Jewish Community Relations
Council, which I chair,
frequently reaches out to ask
you to communicate with your
elected representatives about
issues important to the Jewish
community — including legis-
lation that provides funding
for our seniors, for our
For the next 10 years, the federal government will rely on the collected
2020 census data to guide distribution of $1.5 trillion in annual spending
across 316 federal programs.

last hugged a grandparent or
held a grandchild? How many
minutes did Officer Chauvin
hold his knee on the neck of
George Floyd? How many fires
are raging in California? How
many days remain until the 2020
election? This year also marks the 24th
time in which the United States
is counting how many people
reside within our borders
through the 2020 census. I am
writing to urge that, between
now and Sept. 30, when the
census counting ends, we all
do our part to ensure that
everyone is counted — both
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM to guide distribution of $1.5
trillion in annual spending
across 316 federal programs.

For example, in the context
of planning and funding for
health care, census results
will affect programs such as
Medicaid, Medicare Part B, the
Children’s Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) and the
prevention and treatment of
substance abuse.

Similarly, the 2020 census
count will impact the alloca-
tion of federal funds for
critical programs and services
for schools, students and
younger children, such as
children, for our economically
disadvantaged. Today, I am asking you
to advocate to your commu-
nities about the importance
of responding to the census
— because it is the census
population data that is the
predicate for the distribution of
many of the funds for which we
advocate legislatively. In other
words, after the legislation for
which we advocate has passed,
it is the census data that deter-
mines what share of the funds
comes to our region.

See Fickler, Page 16
JEWISH EXPONENT
KVETCH ’N’ KVELL
Runyan Is Right
IT IS GOOD TO HEAR Rabbi Joshua Runyan’s voice again — a
voice that speaks with logic and compassion (“Why Trump’s Not
Getting This Orthodox Vote: He’s Neither Good for the Jews,
Nor for Judaism,” Sept. 10).

His editorial is well thought-out. First, he lists the positive
he’s seen in the Trump administration and then the longer list
of negatives. He comes to the conclusion that Trump is neither
good for Jews or Judaism. And, of course, for the country. I hope
more in the Jewish community agree with him.

Diane Kenion | Philadelphia
Runyan Is Wrong
As a response to Joshua Runyan, former editor-in-chief of
the Jewish Exponent, attorney in Center City and rabbi, I am
surprised at the opinion piece he wrote on “this Orthodox vote”
and President Trump, taking the highly presumptuous position
that “he’s neither good for the Jews, nor for Judaism.”
Besides the fact that the op-ed is short on facts, it also contra-
dicts the position on the state of Israel, home to millions of other
Jews who take a very different position from Runyan.

Jeffrey M. Melin | Meadowbrook
None of the Above
Appreciated that the Exponent presented opposing views from
Orthodox representatives (Opinion, Sept. 10) regarding the
choice for president.

As Binyamin Rose reminded readers, President Trump uses
communication in a way that all too often is at variance with
Torah guidance for appropriate conduct.

On the other hand, Rabbi Runyan’s framing the vice president
as a principled leader, referring to the current reckoning over
slavery and the failure of Reconstruction, and his ability to not
be divisive, in a way, reflects limited exposure to wider narratives
which affect perception of the nature of these matters.

Quoting Runyan’s preference for “intellectual honesty,” after
reviewing conduct by his preferred choice in a more informed
manner, and exploring the “principled way” the parties have
behaved, including destroying character with innuendo and
false assertions, in opposition to Torah principles, his advocacy
should be for “none of the above.”
As is, a vote for documented falsehood, questionable mental
competency, language demonizing the other (projection of;
the shadow kind) is a vote for enabling a continued sense of
victimhood and division. The helpful focus is with transcending
demonization and partisanship, not enabling the status quo.

Rick Koven | Philadelphia
See Letters, Page 16
STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER
We are a diverse community. The views expressed in the signed opinion columns and let-
ters to the editor published in the Jewish Exponent are those of the authors. They do
not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and boards of the Jewish Publishing
Group, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia or the Jewish Exponent. Send
letters to letters@jewishexponent.com or fax to 215-569-3389. Letters should be a
maximum of 200 words and may be edited for clarity and brevity. Unsigned letters will not be
published. SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
15