Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

We celebrated our 30th anniversary 2015! In honor of this milestone, we profiled 30 remarkable leaders who have partnered with AJWS to build a better world. These are but a few of the thousands who have raised their voices worldwide with our support, changing the lives of millions for the better.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Amplifying women’s voices from the Supreme Court to the Seder table

Washington, D.C.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave women a strong voice at the Passover table in her essay written for AJWS in the spring of 2015. Photograph by Steve Petteway, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave women a strong voice at the Passover table in her essay written for AJWS in the spring of 2015. Photograph by Steve Petteway, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg put a feminist spin on the Passover story for the AJWS family in 2015. Collaborating with Washington-based Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, she wrote an essay to be read at the Seder that recalls the heroism of five “women of action” who helped the Jews escape bondage from Egypt.

From The New York Times to NPR, this latest chapter in the “Notorious RBG” meme garnered unprecedented media coverage and sparked conversations about justice and equality for women at Seder tables around the country.

Justice Ginsburg’s words resonate beyond Passover and inspire all of us who kindle hope for the possibility of a more just and equitable world:

“While there is much light in today’s world,” she wrote, “there remains in our universe disheartening darkness, inhumanity spawned by ignorance and hate … The Passover story recalls to all of us—women and men—that with vision and action we can join hands with others of like mind, kindling lights along paths leading out of the terrifying darkness.”