The February edition of the Jewish bimonthly magazine, Moment, carries an excerpt from a book by Abigail Pogrebin, Stars of David; the book details conversations Pogrebin had with 62 famous Jews. The excerpt features Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of Pogrebin’s subjects. What Ginsburg had to say about Christianity was noted by Catholic League president Bill Donohue:
“In the January 30 edition of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger, Abigail Pogrebin was asked which Jewish persons have left a ‘profound impression’ on her. She answered, ‘I will never forget Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg saying, ‘Don’t put a [Christmas] wreath on this door.’ Indeed, Ginsburg admits to putting a gold mezuzah on her office door’s frame as a way of saying, ‘This is my space, and please don’t put a wreath on this door.’ To observant Jews, the mezuzah reminds them of their connection to God. To Ginsburg, who is not observant, it is a symbol of protest.
“Ginsburg used to attend the annual Red Mass, a Catholic Mass that honors lawyers, but then she had a bad experience: ‘I went one year and I will never go again, because this sermon was outrageously anti-abortion.’ So much for respect for diversity. Just imagine how it would go down in the Jewish community if a Catholic Supreme Court Justice were to say that he would never again attend a particular Jewish event because he had to endure a talk that was ‘outrageously pro-abortion.’
“In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled, 7-2, that it was constitutional to put a cross outside Ohio’s state capitol building. The ruling said that the park was a public forum open to all expression, and could not therefore exclude a Christian symbol. Ginsburg dissented, explaining to Pogrebin, that ‘a Jewish child who is passing by the Capitol’ would surmise that ‘this is a Christian country,’ thus provoking the conclusion that ‘There’s something wrong with me.’ Ginsburg had nothing to say about the fact that a menorah had been allowed on the same grounds prior to the ruling.
“What Ginsburg has said should give all Christians pause, especially Catholics. Her intolerance for our teachings and traditions is striking.”
No comments:
Post a Comment