The Atlanta chapter of a Jewish women’s organization known for supporting abortion rights will hold an Oct. 2 memorial service and walk in Sandy Springs for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The shiva walk will publicly end a traditional seven-day Jewish mourning period for Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18.
Organized by the Atlanta Section of the National Council of Jewish Women, the event is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the City Springs complex at 1 Galambos Way. The event will start with a brief memorial service with song, prayer and the blowing of the shofar, a ram’s horn, the organization said in a release. Following the service, attendees will take a ritual walk around the block, which traditionally marks the end of the shiva period.
The public is invited to attend the event. Face masks must be worn on city property.
“Justice Ginsburg was a true trailblazer who inspired millions of girls and women to fight through sexism and discrimination to make America a better place to work, to live, and to love,” said NCJW/Atlanta President Sherry Frank in the press release. “We collectively share this sadness for our country’s tremendous loss, and once the traditional mourning period is complete, we stand committed to fight for Justice Ginsburg’s legacy.”
Ginsburg’s death triggered enormous political controversy over President Donald Trump and the Republican-led U.S. Senate having the opportunity to appoint a successor to the court so close to an election that he or the party might lose. The issue was the focus of a Sept. 23 protest outside the Buckhead office of U.S. David Perdue. Trump has nominated federal appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett and she is expected to be confirmed by the Senate.
Ginsburg was seen as support of abortion rights on the court and decisions by a new a conservative majority could alter the law on that issue. The NCJW frequently advocates for abortion rights, including in judicial nomination processes, according to its website. The Atlanta chapter is based in Sandy Springs.