A Statement from Wisconsin Faith Leaders

January 15, 2021

We, the undersigned Wisconsin faith leaders, are profoundly disturbed by persistent attempts over the last two months to overturn the will of the people as expressed in the November election, which has been called “the most secure in American history.”[1] These efforts came to a head last week in the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol and our democratically elected leaders of all parties. As leaders of faith, we claim our role as part of our country’s moral conscience. We decry attempts to subvert and overthrow democracy. We lament that President Trump has encouraged these acts and, in so doing, has violated his oath to defend the Constitution. His actions have put the country, its leaders, and our democratic institutions in danger. Our prayers go out to the families of the five people who died as a result of this attack.

January 6, 2021, was a day of great moral reckoning. Leading up to it, we had witnessed the remarkable strength and perseverance of voters who braved a pandemic to make their voices heard, election officials who worked diligently to ensure safe and honest vote counts, and public officials, notably judges across the country, who carefully examined all alleged instances of fraud and ultimately certified the results as sound. We looked forward to Congress completing the process by formally certifying the results.

Instead, we witnessed an attempted coup. We watched in horror as a mob, led by white supremacists, antisemites, conspiracy mongers, and seditionists—incited by the President and encouraged by some Congress members—stormed the Capitol, physically abusing the seat of our national government and forcing members of Congress to flee for their safety. We saw as well how the indulgent treatment of this armed and dangerous crowd by some law enforcement officials compared with the ways in which police around the nation have all too frequently subjected unarmed Black Lives Matter protestors to highly aggressive crowd control. Some crowd members hoisted the banner of the secessionist Confederacy, which fought to uphold slavery and its racial ideology proclaiming that all human beings are not created equal. As people of faith, we are called to witness against the immorality of that claim and its inversion of our country’s highest ideals.

This attempt to overturn the election ultimately failed, but it reminds us that our democracy is fragile and needs protection. Because we cannot accept half-measures to defend our nation’s safety and stability, we join together to call for:

1. The impeachment and conviction by Congress of President Donald Trump in order to restore the rule of law.
2. The resignation or expulsion of the 8 Senators and 139 Representatives, including Wisconsin Congress members Scott Fitzgerald and Tom Tiffany, who supported attempts to overturn the election by voting against the certification of duly and legally selected electors.
3. The passage of bills by the Wisconsin Legislature to protect the voting rights of all the state’s citizens and to redraw maps of the state’s legislative and congressional districts in a fair and non-partisan manner.
4. Those who wish to protest to do so in a non-violent manner which respects our democratic institutions and does not harm any person.

Signed,

Organizations
Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH)
Pastors United
Souls to the Polls
Wisconsin Council of Churches
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
 
Individuals
Rev. Beth Abbot, Pastor, First Congregational United Church of Christ, South Milwaukee
Rev. Dr.Curt Anderson, retired minister, United Church of Christ
Rev. Jane B.Anderson, Associate Conference Minister, Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ, Appleton
Rev.Karen Armina, Minister, James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Madison
Rev. Joseph B. Baring, Jr., African Methodist Episcopal Church, Madison
Rev. Roger Bertschausen, Interim Minister, First Unitarian Society, Madison
Rev. Claire A. Beutler-Cruise, United Church of Christ, Milwaukee
Rabbi Jonathan Biatch, Madison
Rev. Winton Boyd, Pastor–United Church of Christ and Retreat Leader–Center for Courage & Renewal, Madison
Rev. Carin Bringelson, Minister, Lake Country Unitarian Universalist Church, Hartland
Omega S. Burckhardt, Unitarian Universalist Candidate for Ministry, Milwaukee
Rev. Erik David Carlson, Lead Minister, Bradford Unitarian Universalist, Kenosha
Rev. Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson, Minister of Religious Education, First Unitarian Society, Milwaukee
Rev. Denise Cawley, Minister, Unitarian Universalist, Milwaukee
Pastor Adam Clausen, Pastor, Life Center Madison, Madison
Charles Cohen, E. Gordon Fox Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison
Rev. Ruth Costello, Pastor, Community Church of Fontana, United Church of Christ, Fontana
Pastor Marianne Cotter, Pastor, First United Methodist Church, Baraboo
Rev. Kelly Crocker, Minister of Congregational Life, First Unitarian Society, Madison
The Rev. Monica L. Cummings, Assistant Minister for Pastoral Care, Bradford Community Church Unitarian Universalist, Kenosha
Rev. Joseph W. Ellwanger, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Milwaukee
Rev. Alissa Kretzmann Farrar, Pastor, Lake Park Lutheran Church, Milwaukee
Rev. Dr. Jerry Folk
Rabbi Betsy Forester, Rabbi, Beth Israel Center Madison
Rev. Kelly R. Fowler, Pastor, Our Lord’s United Methodist Church, New Berlin
Rev. Selena Fox, Senior Minister, Circle Sanctuary, Barneveld
Rev. Reirin Gumbel, Milwaukee Zen Center and Buddist Peace Fellowship, Milwaukee
Rev. Karen Hagen, Pastor, Tippecanoe Presbyterian Church, Milwaukee
Rev. Sonja L. Ingebritsen, Minister, Community of Hope United Church of Christ, Madison
Rev. Joseph H. Jackson Jr., President, MICAH, Milwaukee
The Rev. Dr. Andrew C. Kennedy, Minister Emeritus, First Unitarian Society Milwaukee
Rev. David Kraemer, Minister, United Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Waukesha
Rev. Erik J. Koepnick, United Church of Christ, Milwaukee
Pastor Walter Lanier, Minister, Progressive Baptist Church, Milwaukee
Rev. Tony Larson, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Church North, Mequon
Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy, Senior Minister, Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Appleton
Minister Greg Lewis
Rev. Suzelle Lynch, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Church West, Brookfield
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, Executive Director, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, Madison
​Rev. Dr. Trinette V McCray, Urban Center Milwaukee, American Baptist Black Caucus of Wisconsin
Rev. Dena McPhetres, Associate Minister, First Unitarian Society, Milwaukee
Rev. Dr. Sydney A. Morris, retired minister, Unitarian Universalist, Oshkosh
Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Society, Milwaukee
Rev. Dr. Sarah Oelberg, retired minister, Unitarian Universalist, West Allis
Rev. Diane Olson, Milwaukee
Rev. Jennifer Olson, ELCA, Milwaukee
Rev. Leah Ongiri, Associate Minister, Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Appleton
Rev. Kerri Parker, Executive Director, Wisconsin Council of Churches, Madison
Rev. Kenneth L. Pennings, Associate Pastor, Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ, Madison
Rev. Ellen Rasmussen, Pastor, Brown Deer United Methodist Church, Brown Deer
Rev. Karon Sandberg, Community Minister, Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Appleton
Rev. Karla Schmidt, Campus Minister, The Crossing, Madison
Rev. Dr. Larry Sexe, Board President, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, Deerfield
Rev. Valerie Showalter, Pastor, Madison Mennonite Church (MC USA), Madison
Rev. Patrick Siegler, Madison
Rev. Bryan Sirchio, Pastor McFarland UCC, McFarland
Rev. Daniel J. Stark, Pastor, Christ Church UCC, Milwaukee
Reverend Tory V. Topjian, Senior Minister, Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Church, Milwaukee
Pastor Alexis Twito, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Cedarburg
Rev. Nick Utphall, Pastor, Advent Luther/Madison Christian Community, Madison
Rev. Marlene Walker, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rock Valley, Rockton (IL)
Mallory Yanchus, Executive Director, The Crossing Campus Community, Madison
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman, Congregation Shaarei Shamayim, Madison
 
[1] https://www.cisa.gov/news/2020/11/12/joint-statement-elections-infrastructure-government-coordinating-council-election
 

WISCONSIN INTERFAITH VOTER ENGAGEMENT CAMPAIGN STATEMENT ON THE INSURRECTION AT THE CAPITOL

Shock, Grief, Horror, Fear, Disgust, Anger, Anxiety – we have felt all this and more in the last few days. Our country will never be the same. On Wednesday, armed insurrectionists surged into the Capitol building in an attempt to overturn by force the lawful election of Nov. 3. Our hearts go out to the loved ones of those who lost their lives during the attack on the Capitol. We support every American’s right to peaceful protest.  However, this was not a protest, but a violent and dangerous attack on our democracy. Its perpetrators, from the top down, must be held accountable and brought to justice.

We cannot help but note the stark contrast between the response of police to this gang of White vigilantes and how police have responded to Black Americans protesting racism. After the murder of George Floyd last summer, the streets of Washington DC were filled with police in riot gear and peaceful protestors were greeted with smoke bombs and pepper spray. On Wednesday, the Capitol police were lightly scattered around the Capitol and neither the DC police nor the National Guard were called until after the building had already been breached. 

We can take comfort in the fact that those who tried to seize our Capitol and defeat democracy have failed. Democracy survives: Congress reconvened after the Capitol was secured and, at 3:41am Thursday, formally declared Joseph Biden the winner of the presidential election.

We fervently hope that the events of Wednesday will prove to be a wake-up call for our nation and that the new administration will help the country heal from the last four years. It is clear that we cannot go back to business as usual but need to start fresh and look at what needs to change in our country for the good of all.  As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King jr. said in his final speech before his assassination: “Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation”.

All of you who have participated in the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign have been part of this work of making America a better nation.  You have phone banked, written letters and postcards, registered voters, given rides to the polls.  Your efforts were part of what gave this past election the largest voter turnout in our history. This work continues with renewed energy and vigor in this new year, with all its challenges and opportunities.

On Inauguration Day we will celebrate the successful transition of power, as we have done for 244 years. Then, our newly elected representatives must get down to the business of governing, to stem the spread of the pandemic, to help our hard-working families that are struggling in this economy, to address, finally, the looming issue of climate change, and to root out the racism that has too long poisoned our society. Rev. Kerri Parker of the Wisconsin Council of Churches said, “As a Christian, I believe in repentance. I believe there is always time for turning around and seeking a better way....and so, my prayer today is one which calls forth respect, honor, and right relationship.”

As we look to tomorrow, we pray for restoration of sanity to our country. We pray for an end to partisan rancor and that the forces that seek to use misinformation and disinformation to divide us fail. We pray that we can rebuild trust in factual information, trust in our democratic processes, and trust in those institutions that protect democracy, including objective and factual reporting on the workings of our government.  We pray for leadership that will bring us together, heal a nation afflicted by a deadly pandemic, and protect and strengthen our democracy for the good of all, rather than undermine it to preserve the power of a few.
But prayer alone is not enough. As people of faith who are committed to making real the ideals on which our nation was founded, we must join together in the fight to protect our democracy.  There are those in our state houses and Congress who would take recent events as an opportunity to enact new restrictions on the right to vote and on the right to protest. 

Instead, we must break down barriers to voting and protect and defend the right to raise our voices together in nonviolent opposition to injustice.  This is the time for us all as an interfaith community to unite to protect our democracy and our country. Nothing less than our democracy is at stake.
​
Dr. King famously said, “the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”  But it will not bend on its own, it will take all of us working together. So let us rise together as Dr. King called us to do so many years ago, with greater readiness and greater determination, to make America a better nation!
 
From the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign, a joint project of Wisconsin Council of Churches and Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice 

Background:
As people of faith, dedicated to protecting life and caring for those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession, we are deeply concerned about the continued spread of the virus and the resulting economic hardship on the most vulnerable among us. 

Along with the health care organizations in the “STOP the COVID SPREAD” campaign[1], we are grateful to Speaker Robin Vos and Congressman Mark Pocan for coming together to encourage all people to follow the guidelines for physical distancing, hand washing, and wearing masks.  This is an encouraging step, but more needs to be done. A coalition of faith leaders and faith-based organizations have come together to plan a series of lobby visits during the week of December 13th to key legislators in leadership positions in the 2021 session. Please help us amplify our voices by taking action with your legislator.

Action:
The week of December 13, please call, email, tweet, or write a letter to your legislator to urge them to take action to stem the spread of COVID-19 and address the economic impact.
​
From all elected officials on both sides of the aisle, we want one clear public message: “Stop the COVID Spread.” Beyond messages, we want to see bipartisan efforts that are aimed at stopping the spread of the disease.  Specifically:

1. We call for hazard pay and paid sick leave for health care providers, improved equipment and PPE gear, as well as additional testing supplies. These people have been doing an extraordinary job under nearly impossible circumstances and are reaching the breaking point. Wisconsin must make their well-being a number one priority!

 

1. We ask for increased funding and support to local governments and municipalities to expand testing and contact tracing, provide food and housing security, and provide free COVID-19 testing and treatment.

 

1. Wisconsinites continue to struggle through a deepening recession and pandemic. The state must make access to unemployment benefits easier and expand eligibility for unemployment benefits. Not only will expanded benefits assist families desperately in need, but it will also boost the economy as people become able to shop for necessities and pay bills.

 

1. Action is needed to stop the spread of the virus as well as respond to its health and economic impacts. Therefore, we urge the legislature to refrain from prohibiting DHS or local health departments from making determinations regarding closing or limiting capacity of schools, businesses, house of worship and other public accommodations. These measures would only serve to increase the spread of the virus.

 

1. Instead, Wisconsin needs a statewide mandate on masks. That is the one simple measure which we know is effective in slowing the spread of the virus.

 
To find your legislator and their contact information, go to https://legis.wisconsin.gov/.
You can also send a message directly through our friends at the Wisconsin Council of Churches here.
 
 
 


[1]https://www.wha.org/stopthecovidspread#:~:text=%E2%80%9CStop%20the%20Covid%20Spread!%E2%80%9D,safely%20participate%20in%20Wisconsin's%20economy

Background
 
This election, Wisconsinites voted in record numbers. Local election officials counted and verified every vote, and the results were validated by independent election experts. The voters decided and now, the election is over.
 
But some State Legislators are making baseless claims about the election and are refusing to lead during this pandemic. Tomorrow, Friday December 11, the Senate and Assembly will hold a Joint Committee on Campaigns and Elections hearing to review the 2020 general election. Please tell WI legislators to stop undermining public confidence in the integrity of our elections and instead get back to work and pass meaningful legislation to address COVID-19. 
 
The hearing will take place between 10:00am and 6:00pm.  It will be live-streamed on WisconsinEye. 
 
Only invited speakers will be heard, so the only way to share your views will be through direct contact with members of the committee.  Please watch as much of the hearing as you are able, and during the hearing, reach out to members of the Senate and Assembly Committees through text messages, twitter, email, or phone calls, to let them know you want them to stop focusing on false allegations about the integrity of our elections and focus instead on addressing the pandemic and the economic fallout. Your voice is important! Please take action using the talking points below:
 
Talking points:
This was a free and fair election

• Many Wisconsinites went to great effort to vote safely in this pandemic.  Their votes should not be discarded or dismissed because of baseless allegations of systematic and widespread fraud.
• The will of the people should prevail; efforts to overturn the will of the people are undemocratic and should stop. 
• In this election, we had candidates from both parties win hard fought races up and down the ballot, including some of the lawmakers on this committee. We owe the candidates and the voters to stay focused on getting the job done. 
• You have an obligation to the people of Wisconsin to devote your energy and resources toward upholding the will of the voters.
• We need you to get back to work to stop the spread of COVID-19 and help Wisconsinites who are struggling during the pandemic to keep food on their tables and a roof over their heads.

 
If you are reaching out on Twitter or Facebook, please tag the legislators using these twitter handles:
Members - Senate Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural Issues
Senator Bernier (Chair, R): @kmbernier1
Senator Darling (Vice-Chair, R): @SenDarling
Senator Stroebel (R): @SenStroebel
Senator Miller (D): @WISenatorMiller
Senator Smith (D): @sensmithwi
 
Members - Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections
Representative Tusler (Chair, R)): @Ron_Tusler
Representative Sanfelippo (Vice-Chair, R): @RepSanfelippo
Representative Brandtjen (R):@RepJanel
Representative Macco (R): @RepMacco
Representative Sortwell (R): @shaesortwell, 
Representative Murphy (R): https://www.facebook.com/RepDaveMurphy (couldn't find Twitter)
Representative Zamarripa (D): @repjocasta
Representative Subeck (D): @LisaSubeck
Representative Spreitzer (D): @RepSpreitzer
 
Click on the names below to get to the legislators’ pages for phone numbers and email addresses.
Members - Senate Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural IssuesSenator Bernier (Chair)
Senator Darling (Vice-Chair)
Senator Stroebel
Senator Miller
Senator Smith
Members - Assembly Committee on Campaigns and ElectionsRepresentative Tusler (Chair)
Representative Sanfelippo (Vice-Chair)
Representative Brandtjen
Representative Macco
Representative Sortwell
Representative Murphy
Representative Zamarripa
Representative Subeck
Representative Spreitzer
 
 
 

This month, we honor the rich history, traditions, and many contributions of our Native American siblings, as part of Native American Heritage Month.  As I write this, I am living on land that belongs to the Kickapoo, Peoria, Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Myaamia, Sauk and Meskwaki Nations. (discover whose land you are living on here. Learn more about land acknowledgement here.)

It is ironic that we are about to celebrate a holiday that is all about giving thanks for an abundant harvest and eating a big feast, while so many Native Americans today are struggling with hunger and food insecurity.
 
The reality is that hunger in Indian Country is the direct result of centuries of discrimination against Native Americans from the moment Europeans first landed on American soil.  Early settlers engaged in a deliberate policy of raiding and destroying native food stores and resources.  Enforced resettlement on reservations pushed tribes off their native grounds and away from their traditional food sources.  Native agricultural practices were erased, fishing and hunting rights were denied, the buffalo were wiped out.
 
The government replaced these resources with government rations, food commodity programs that focused on mere survival rather than nutrition or culturally appropriate foods; replaced traditional foods with foods familiar to white communities, and provided SNAP benefits that were not able to be redeemed anywhere on the reservations. The result was an increase in food insecurity, the rise in obesity, diabetes, and other nutrition-related illnesses, and the destruction of tribal food economies.
 
Today, Native American-led organizations are working to restore native agricultural practices, support native farmers, fishers, and ranchers, and promote sustainable agricultural businesses on the reservations.  They are working to increase food security and food sovereignty among the tribes, so that the tribal leaders, not the federal government, are in charge of administering anti-hunger programs on their own lands.  After all, they are in a better position than legislators in Washington to determine what their communities need, what foods are most appropriate, and the best methods of delivery.
 
As we work to support our Native American siblings’ efforts toward greater equity and empowerment, one immediate task we can take on is to debunk the myth of the ‘First Thanksgiving’.  Perpetuating this myth only seeks to perpetuate stereotypes about Native Americans, distorts the real history beyond recognition, ignores the rich history and culture of the Wampanoag people who had thrived for thousands of years before white Europeans later known as Pilgrims came and stole their land, and serves to sweep under the rug the true history of genocide, forced relocations, broken promises, and ongoing discrimination. 

(Learn the truth behind the myth here and here)

It is so important that we educate ourselves about the history, traditions, and rich variety of cultures of the 573 officially and not officially recognized Native American tribes. A Native organization, Illuminative (https://illuminatives.org/) teaches us about the reality, and the danger, of Native invisibility. Ignorance and stereotyping have a damaging effect on how Native peoples are treated by the courts, schools, and society.  80% of Americans know little or nothing about Native communities; 90% of our schools teach little or nothing about Native Americans past 1900.  Native representation in pop culture lies somewhere between 0 and 0.4% and often consists of damaging stereotypes of Natives as drunk, impoverished, and victims of crime. 
 
Invisibility creates implicit bias and leads to Native Americans being left out of key decisions in Congress.  Decision-makers know nothing about Native Americans.  Most federal judges know nothing and yet make important decisions on treaty rights and other important issues.  It is imperative to shift the narrative, break the stereotypes, and make the invisible, visible. Minimally, public policies need to be written to include Native communities.  More deeply, Native leaders need to be included at the table from the beginning, as policies are being debated, not after they are already written. We need to remember that Native Americans are still here, are resilient, are thriving, have capable leadership and have addressed their issues with innovation and creativity. 
 
As Americans, we care about all our children, we want all people to be healthy and safe, and we want people to have access to heathy and nutritious food. We must live out these values by supporting the Native American communities in their fight for food security and sovereignty.  We need to advocate for increased SNAP benefits in the next COVID relief bill and in the next Farm Bill.  But more than that, we need to recognize the power and resiliency of the Native community and support those Native-led organizations (see below) that are supporting food sovereignty and promoting Native agriculture that enables the tribes to feed themselves.

Anti-hunger and Native food sovereignty organizations:

Native American Agriculture Fund

Inter-tribal Agriculture Council 
 
Illuminative 
 
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger partnership with Native American food sovereignty organizations

Today Democracy won.

Two hundred and forty four years ago, the United States began a tradition that continues to this day, unheard of anywhere else in the world at that time, whereby the people would choose their leader and every four years there would be a peaceful and dignified transfer of power.  We expect that tradition to hold now and in the future.  Let us all come together to bring unity to our country.

This election has been historic in many ways, but no more so than in the election of our first female, African American, South Asian, graduate of an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) to the Vice-Presidency!  No matter who you voted for, this groundbreaking event must be acknowledged.

Many thanks to all who worked so hard to ensure that every eligible voter was able to exercise their right to vote! You made calls, sent texts, got people registered, posted accurate voter information on social media, worked the polls, gave rides to the polls, protected voters’ rights at the polls, and your hard work paid off. Voters came out in record numbers across the country, voting in person or by absentee, and their votes counted. 

We all deserve a day of rest. Take the day to celebrate democracy, to enjoy this historic moment.
But then, we get back to work. Democracy does not end at the ballot box: That is just the beginning.  Now that we have a new Administration, a new Congress, new people in our statehouse, it is time to hold these elected officials accountable to address the vital issues facing our country.  Whether you voted for them or not, they are now our representatives in the halls of government, and we must ensure that they truly represent us.

In the year ahead, let us join together to advocate for sane, science-based policies to address the pandemic and comprehensive relief to deal with the economic fallout.  Let us work together to resolve the crisis at the border and return our nation to its historic place as a haven for refugees and asylum-seekers. Let us work for policies to mitigate the effects of climate change.  And let us finally undo the systems and policies that have led to the devastating inequities and entrenched racism in our society.
​
The task ahead may seem daunting.  Two thousand years ago, Rabbi Tarfon, a 2nd century sage, said, "It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but neither are you free to desist from it."  (Talmud, Pirkei Avot 2:21).  No one of us can do this work alone, but together, we can bring healing and wholeness to our world. 
 
 

​As a faith leader, I believe it is a moral imperative that every vote be counted, and every voice be heard.  As a Wisconsin poll worker, I know how time-consuming it is to process and count absentee ballots.  That is why I was tremendously disappointed to hear that the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decided that Wisconsin absentee ballots must be returned to the municipal clerks’ offices by Election Day in order to be counted.  This decision is especially difficult to understand, given that SCOTUS just a few days earlier decided the other way in a nearly identical case in Pennsylvania.  It is deeply undemocratic to thwart voters’ good faith attempts to vote, particularly in this extraordinary time of pandemic, slow-down at the post office, and vastly increased incidence of voting absentee.  I urge all eligible voters in Wisconsin – vote early, vote NOW, make sure your voice is heard!
 
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis
Executive Director
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice

            Zecher Tzadik l’vracha – May the Memory of the Righteous Be for a Blessing
 
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice joins with all Americans to mourn the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a brilliant and compassionate Supreme Court justice, an advocate for the rights of all oppressed people, and a great champion not only for women’s rights but for equal justice for all.
           
Known affectionately as the Notorious RBG, Justice Ginsburg was a hero and a role model who knocked down legal obstacles to women’s equality and leveled the playing field between the sexes. As a Jew, Ginsburg cared as deeply for the rights of minority groups, immigrants, the disabled and others, as she did about the rights of women.
 
For the Jewish community, RBG was a source of tremendous pride. Justice Ginsburg often pointed to her Judaism as the wellspring from which she drew her passion for justice. In a 2004 speech, she said that her “heritage as a Jew and my occupation as a judge fit together symmetrically. The demand for justice runs through the entirety of Jewish history and Jewish tradition. I take pride in and draw strength from my heritage, as signs in my chambers attest…[including] the command from Deuteronomy [16:20]: ‘Tzedek, tzedek, tirdof’ – ‘Justice, justice shall you pursue.’ Those words are ever-present reminders of what judges must do that they ‘may thrive.’”
 
Ginsburg further said of her Jewish heritage, “It makes you more empathetic to other people who are not insiders, who are outsiders.”  That empathy led her to fight for the rights of minorities in all aspects of life.
 
Today we are living in tumultuous times, when threats to minority rights and to our very democracy seem to grow stronger every day. Justice Ginsburg knew that the greatest antidote to these threats is our right to vote.  In 2013, she issued a scathing dissent in defense of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which the majority on the Court had just gutted in Shelby vs. Holder.
 
In her opinion, Justice Ginsburg outlined the very many instances in which the VRA had succeeded in its mission to prevent voter suppression in the targeted states and noted that, without it, there would be an avalanche of discriminatory practices preventing minorities from voting.  In describing the circumstances under which the VRA was enacted, Ginsburg noted that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had warned that the passage of this Act would not be enough, but that, as she wrote, “there had to be a steadfast national commitment to see the task through to completion.”
 
Justice Ginsburg’s warning was prescient, as we have indeed seen an avalanche of assaults on people’s access to the ballot box.  Here in Wisconsin, this threat has played out in egregious ways.  Our voter ID law is one of the most stringent in the country, disenfranchising thousands of voters. Witness requirements for absentee ballots have proved a barrier, particularly during the pandemic.  Reduced time for early voting in the upcoming election similarly places an undue burden on access to the ballot.
 
To honor Justice Ginsburg’s memory, we must join in her fight to combat voter suppression in Wisconsin and throughout the United States. To be true to her legacy, let us follow her call to protect voting rights by voting ourselves and by helping others to vote!
 
The tradition that Justice Ginsburg venerated in turn holds her in special esteem. As Nina Totenberg, NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent, tweeted: “A Jewish teaching says those who die just before the Jewish new year are the ones God has held back until the last moment because they were needed most & were the most righteous. And so it was that #RBG died as the sun was setting last night marking the beginning of Rosh Hashanah.”
 
Jewish tradition teaches that in every generation, the world is supported by 36 righteous people, for whose sakes the world is kept from destruction.  They are called Lamed Vavniks for the Hebrew letters that stand for the number 36, a multiple of 18, the numerical value of the Hebrew word for “life.”  They are people who toil all their lives for the good of others, who are people of compassion, who fight for justice, who stand for goodness and mercy.  They are usually unknown to the world, and even to themselves. 
 
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a Lamed Vavnik, and the world is more precarious for her passing.  May she be bound up in the bonds of everlasting life, and may she rest in peace.