Celebrating the Life of RBG

A group of masked mourners, some carrying signs, gathers on the steps of the Supreme Court in the hours after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer, the court announced.      She was 87.

Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993 by President Bill Clinton and in recent years served as the most senior member of the court's liberal wing, consistently delivering progressive votes on the most divisive social issues of the day, including abortion rights, same-sex marriage, voting rights, immigration, health care and affirmative action.

"Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature," said Chief Justice John Roberts. "We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her -- a tireless and resolute champion of justice."

First Woman to lie in State in the Capitol

Justice Ginsburg will become the first woman in history to lie in state in the US Capitol when her casket is placed in National Statuary Hall on Friday.

The historic event, which was announced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday, will feature a formal ceremony for invited guests only because of the coronavirus pandemic.  

Lying in state is a tribute reserved for the most distinguished government officials and military officers, while lying in honor is a distinction given to private citizens.

Mourners’ Kaddish

There are so many ways to honor the legacy of the great Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away on Friday, September 18, 2020, just as the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashana was about to start. One of them is to say the Mourner’s Kaddish, the poignant Jewish prayer recited when mourning the dead.

On Tuesday, a Virtual Kaddish for Ruth Bader Ginsburg was held on Zoom. The moving 15-minute service, poignantly lead by Rabbi Sari Laufer, was an opportunity to collectively grieve the passing and celebrate the legacy of this relentless Jewish icon. 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=350711216279483&ref=external

  

Ginsburg, who died on the eve of the Jewish new year, was surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, DC, the court said. A private interment service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.