A crowd gathered outside Brooklyn Borough Hall on Friday to wish Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg a happy 86th birthday, and to call for renaming the municipal building after their favorite Brooklynite.
Borough President Eric Adams, state legislators and a few female judges have launched the “Rally for Ruth” movement, with the belief it is time to honor a true daughter of Brooklyn, News 1 reported.
Joan Ruth Bader was born on March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn. Her nickname was “Kiki,” apparently because she had been “a kicky baby.” The Bader family belonged to the East Midwood Jewish Center, a Conservative synagogue, where Ruth learned tenets of the Jewish faith and gained familiarity with the Hebrew language. At age 13, Ruth acted as the “camp rabbi” at a Jewish summer program at Camp Che-Na-Wah in Minerva, New York.
BP Adams told News 1: “This great Supreme Court justice has adorned a black robe on the Supreme Court. Now, it’s time for her to have her name adorn the municipal building in the borough where she was born.”
As of Sunday morning, 93,776 have signed petition to “Rename the Brooklyn Municipal Building for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
Among other things, the petition states: “Society often waits to recognize a lifetime of accomplishment until after that lifetime ends. In this case, we can honor the life and service of Ruth Bader Ginsburg during what we hope will be a long and active remaining life.”