Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life embodies the best of America. Her experiences of being a first-generation American, a religious minority, and a woman who overcame discrimination informed her jurisprudence.
The grandchild of Jewish immigrants from Russia, Ginsburg understood how fear of violent pogroms caused her family to leave their home, along with hundreds of thousands of Jews who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. She also appreciated the hope for a better life America offers its constant stream of newcomers.
Despite the discrimination she faced, America was a stark contrast with Russia where her grandfather was prohibited from attending school and working in certain occupations because he was Jewish.
Our celebration of the legacy of the first Jewish American woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, thus, speaks volumes about America’s potential for progress.
But Ginsburg knew her success was more an exception than the rule. Her life experiences constantly reminded her that the gulf between America, the ideal, and America, the reality, was wide. During her Senate confirmation hearing in 1993, Ginsburg candidly stated, “I am alert to discrimination. I grew up during World War II in a Jewish family. I have memories as a child, even before the war, of being in a car with my parents and passing a place in [Pennsylvania], a resort with a sign out in front that read: “No dogs or Jews allowed.”
For too many African Americans, Jews, and women of Ginsburg’s generation, legal exclusion from certain educational institutions, neighbourhoods and professions was a daily reminder there were two Americas. One for the insiders, and another for outsiders. This reality influenced how she practised her profession.
— Read the full article on Al Jazeera English here
