 DECEMBER 31 • 2020 | 9

letters

Dr. Peven and
Fertility Fraud 

Oh my. The implications 
are astronomical (Dec. 
24, cover story). Brother/
sisters married. Children 
affected. 
 All need to have their 
DNA checked. Scary!

- Flora Miskin Castleman

Facebook comment

Drive-Up 
Mourning

Our recent story on Ira 
Kaufman Chapel introducing 
drive-up greeting lines for 
funerals (Dec. 10, pg. 25) 
generated online discussion.

Why are they doing this 
before the funeral service 
begins rather than after? 
 According to Jewish 
law one should not 
attempt to comfort a 
mourner until after 
their loved one has been 
buried. “Receiving lines” 
before a funeral are 
quite at odds with this 
principle.

- Nancy Federman Kaplan

Facebook comment

I didn’t realize that 
visiting prior to the burial 
wasn’t the “norm” as I’ve 
never been to a funeral 
outside MI. I also learned 
a few years ago about 
the mitzvah of putting 
a shovel of dirt on the 
casket. 
 I have found that until 
someone actually loses 
someone close, there is a 
lack of knowledge about 
traditional practices when 
someone dies. It’s almost 

guest column

The RBG platter

R

uth Bader Ginsburg, 
the longest-serving 
Jewish associate jus-
tice of the Supreme Court 
of the United States from 
1993 until her death in 
September 2020, is fondly 
remembered for her ground-
breaking majority opinions, 
advocacy for gender equali-
ty and women’s rights, gen-
der discrimination cases, and 
for her passionate dissents in 
numerous disputes. 
 She is revered by many 
for making significant legal 
advances for women, includ-
ing winning five gender 
discrimination cases before 
the Supreme Court between 
1973 and 1976, and for 
encouraging women to speak 
up about their experiences 
with sexual harassment.
RBG had a collection of 
lace neckbands (jabots), or 
collars, from around the 
world. She often wore a jabot 
when issuing her dissents 
(black with gold embroidery 
and faceted stones) as well 
as another she wore when 
issuing majority opinions 
(crocheted yellow and cream 
with crystals), which was a 
gift from her law clerks. Her 
favorite jabot (woven with 
white beads) was from Cape 
Town, South Africa. 
When RBG died in 
September, I thought of my 
friend, Rebecca Leitman 
Veidlinger, who I knew 
would be affected tremen-
dously by her passing. 
Rebecca, a Bloomfield Hills-
bred, Ann Arbor-based 
lawyer, whose work focuses 
on sex discrimination in 

education, told me of her 
deep admiration for RBG. 
“While taking a feminist 
jurisprudence class in grad-
uate school I learned about 
RBG’ 
s advocacy and really 
appreciated her way of doing 
things. She had an incre-
mental, super-logical way 
of addressing how sexism 
harms women, and men,” she 
said. 
Rebecca has a huge respect 
for RBG’s personal accom-
plishments, particularly how 
she excelled in law school 
while juggling additional 
roles as mother and support-
ive wife. Rebecca confided 
that she found many answers 
in feminist theory to prob-
lematic issues that she herself 
experienced and observed. 
Josh Nathanson, co-owner 
of Gallery and Goods, an 
antique store in Pine Plains, 
N.Y., designed a large, dark 
ceramic platter, the color 
simulating the Supreme 
Court robe RBG wore, which 
also features a replica of her 

ivory-colored jabot, creating 
a striking and memorable 
dedication to the famed 
jurist. 
The auctioned proceeds 
of this unique hand-made 
piece of pottery was donated 
to Willow Roots, a charitable 
organization in Upstate New 
York, dedicated to eliminat-
ing hunger, putting food on 
the tables for those strug-
gling through the current 
pandemic and beyond, elimi-
nating waste, and advocating 
for healthy living. 
Rebecca, through a series 
of unique coincidences, 
acquired the RBG platter on 
Thanksgiving. 
“I’m so grateful that I am 
able to celebrate the life, 
memory and triumphs of 
RBG by displaying this won-
derful piece in my family 
room,” Rebecca said. 
Now she, her family, and 
friends, can celebrate with 
other RBG fans in her home 
as she dedicates her career to 
important social causes. 

The Veidlinger family: Jeff, who directs the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at 
the University of Michigan; Rebecca; and their two daughters, Naomi and Mae.

DAVID NATHANSON

S. DAVID NATHANSON, M.D.

continued on page 10

