Proud san franciscans the didntn franciscan dutch live in san francisco. Both ofappointed them still serve on the court today. Pretty much part of the liberal block of the court. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who just turned 84, has now surpassed by few months. In terms of longevity. Stephen breyer had an he served in the 1980s. As the chief dutch both he Ruth Bader Ginsburg congeniality on the corporate he got along with everyone. He was able to get on famously orrin hatch on the other hand. Kennedy and orrin hatch agreed on not many things. They greet in their admiration with respect to steve breyer when he was nominated in the last days of jimmy carters administration. Domination. Anyones later who could get along with orrin hatch and ted kennedy must have been doing something right. From replace to elena cage, so we get through the introduction portion. Ok. Kagan, who is a graduate of princeton university, and Harvard Law School, was also a marshall scholar at Oxford University as was stephen breyer. Working in the Clinton Administration domestic policy staff. She then became the first jewish woman dean of Harvard Law School. Then she followed she probably would also qualify followed she became the next jewish solicitor general 2009. One of the efforts of president s r two point hopefully under justices. She was the exact same page, 49 going a few month bet that that neil gorsuch was. What expects the golden era to get nominated. Thats right. Now, of exhausted and with me except for if we halftime about miracle. We are talking about legacies in history. Perhaps will agree is a historian, it too early to talk about the legacies of the sitting justices. Process in my 20 minutes before opening it up to the audience. I want to ask you some things cherokee audience some of your learning about them. I need to have you when we talk about these people as jewish justices, we are using the convention here that they were born to jewish mothers. Yes, thats all correct. To what extent are we talking about people who for whom jewish observance, spirituality, billy, was a significant appeared to you to be a significant aspect of their lives, up to the time that they served on the court, and while they were serving . Their jewish their jewish because they had a jewish mother but a lot of people want to know this is the lead up to the question to what extent their jewish faith, may or, cultural judaism may not have affected, or influenced who they were as people, and how they performed as judges. With the singular exception of or does a coup came from a and goldberg,ly, who is very active in the Jewish Community and has an annual passover unit with washington. Fair to say, that was more like a Labor Movement revival meeting. [laughter] it was indeed. Erennial guest was george the labor leader. Rob george meany. To say that was an obvious is i was shocked. Goldbergs wife yiddish talk. I will come back later on to one anecdote. To question your question is well taken. Justices werewish not practicing religious jews. Ndeis came from a family he grew up in louisville, kentucky. His parents were germanspeaking jews. He was raised almost as a christian. Said to admire the ethics of all religions and the rituals and observances in their home, they never celebrated the jewish sabbath or christmas chronic and everything but christmas brand is continued in this tradition. If i can tell a quick anecdote we dont want to give away the whole book. Prenticeht ok was a prolific letterwriter. 1900 his two young daughters the days before christmas in new york. A letter to them saying, please dont worry. The Christmas Tree is set up and santa claus will be here to greet you. Was close it is, he with brother alfred, who remains in louisville. Month for six weeks our cousin alfred would send them a ham from louisville. There were no hands in boston, but there would be these wonderful brandeis saying thank you, we are overjoyed that grinned as household is overjoyed. We just received your ham. I want to come back after we get done with the addition kite of all of the justices, or the nonsitting justices. To get back to zionism, theres an interesting story year. No, cardozo. Ok. Cardozo is descended from probably the freeman and josh preeminent jewish family in america. Who is a direct descendent of he was the only rabbi at george washington, giving an indication there were 14 clergy. This was in 1790. He was the first you ever appointed to the board of governors of columbia university. At the recommendation of Alexander Hamilton until Benjamin Cardoza would another jew be appointed. Of his cousins was the deputy of new york. We know that has yet says. ,ut what about his jewishness practices question mark he belonged to the spanish portuguese synagogue in new york, the of this continuance synagogue in the United States. He cap the ticket. When he was in new york he is special occasionally went on the high holiday. He very rarely attended service. Yet his bar mitzvah there. For the most part of mike who surveillance a trait cardozo would never serve a fork pork or shellfish in his home. By the way he was taken aback when on his first imitation to the grand prize when he came to washington, thats what greatness thats what was served to him. Fair to say that didnt augur well for a close relationship between the two on the court. Thats an understatement. On the court or off the court. Remains when he died, the Memorial Service was bad spanish portuguese he remained a nonpracticing orthodox jew. If and when he went to a synagogue, it had to be orthodox. Worldosest friend in the was ernie lehman does lehman brothers, the other brother of herbert lehman, the governor and senator from new york. When brandeis when cardoza died, he died at the lehman mansion. They took care of them he and his wife sally in his last week. They were so shocked when they had the funeral chair of israel one of cardozas other closest friends with stephen wise. One of the great sinus. One of the preeminent rabbis in america. Stephen wise was a reformed rabbi. Leaders of church and sheriff israel would not permit him to officiate in any way or give a eulogy. That shocked lehman, who was a committed reform jew even his close friend friends didnt realize how orthodox jew he really was or was not, because he never practice his orthodox judaism. Felix frankfurter born in the old country, comes to the United States at age 12 not knowing one word of english. Correct. Bar mitzvah . Bar mitzvahed. Goes to yeshiva. For a while. In bedside, they thought it was the Safest School for him. At 15hat question mark he decides, judaism is not for him. It becomes that she becomes a selfproclaimed agnostic. He doesnt to Harvard Law School. Hes the top of his class. Ive of photograph of him and his dorm. But, he wanted very much to become part of the protestant belief in the company country. He married the daughter of a protestant minister. The mother did not attend their wedding. He never set foot in a catholic synagogue in in a synagogue in his adult right life except to give an occasional lecture. Heres the paradox. In his will, to the shock of his protestant life and most of his friends, he asked that the traditional jewish career be recited at his funeral. Bayliss henkin. Lewis henton was one of his favorite law clerks, not only approximate practicing orthodox jew but one of the preeminent rabbis in america. A preeminent legal scholar. Was jewish a law professor at columbia university. One of the great authorities on international law. At one point he consulted the state department. Hewitt said one friend was a practicing orthodox jew. So frankfurter, very jewish until 15. Cast it all off, becomes jewish again at his funeral. He says to a friend, shortly wantntis staff to live as a jew but i want to die as a jew. So much for jewish influence during his 22 years on the court. So, were up to justice goldberg. He didnt belong to synagogue his whole life. He and his wife were Close Friends they were in chicago. Milwaukee. As teenagers in the Zionist Movement. He grew up in chicago. In his class at northwestern university. Could get a job in one of the big law firms, but got a job in a small jewish law firm founded by the two picture brothers. If this sounds familiar and the family that eventually started the hyatt hotel chain. Can we get back to spirituality . Oh yes. Im going to take my watch up to remind me. Spirituality was interesting. It is a much more jewish jew than any of the other justices. Didnt seem like he was saying it wasnt saying much. It wasnt. I will give you one example, then one great anecdote. He did notwas keep kosher. He would great insist if any of the law clerks observed posh roots, you would all make strictly kosher. One of the years alan gershwins who was then a strictly kidding jew for this culture in washington. Get a very extensive kosher caterer. By the way, his Supreme Court letterhead hear about the Goldberg Family recipe for corruption. Traditional to spiritually a jewish jew. As was his wife. One quick anecdote, very quick i hope. Its five minutes to eight and we are not up to four to say. Justin yiddish ok. Lys told the story of secretary of labor. His elderly jewish mother in chicago. While he was slipping one day, his mother asks who is this. Its president kennedy. So he answers, the president. To just a border to babita spread of justice that im i know youre not a legal scholar in your research you are able to discern any of the fact that they were born jewish. Fortresslike frankfurter was born into an orthodox family in memphis, tennessee. He also premuch cut his ties orthodoxy in high school. Really ined to be different to anything and jewish religious practices. His wife is not jewish she was not particularly interested in judaism at all. She pushed him in that direction. Was the first in his class at you law school. By the way, the same legend has it that what brandeis was first in his class at harvard scholastic average has never been met since, they say the same thing about fortis. William douglass waiters on the court he also couldnt did a job in the law firm in a big city lot law firm. He went to work at the new deal. As i said before, thats what he did helped lbj. He eventually get a new law firm in washington. Hisfortis imported wife was a tax specialist. That she will take a 90 salary cut. Never go short his wife was tremendous in that area. When he visited, they never had children his jewish nephews and nieces they told him about what it was like to live a jewish life. He knew very little about that. He was proisrael. His closest friends in washington for many years was the former israeli ambassador to the United States, later produce and debate some of his best friends were jewish. Some of his best friends were jewish. I should have put that in the book. May be answer to this question is obvious, since the justices we have talked about so far, none of them either they had no jewish up ringing as in the case of Louis Brandeis, or they had jewish upbringing which they forsook. As was largely in the case of the others. Fair to sayly not about cardozo, he just became a in different and an observant. Or fortis,kfurter, which was just a categorical rejection, this is a disability of my birth that i will try to overcome think thats fair to say. If its fair to say that its hard to discern an effective their judaism on their cherish prudence. It is fair to say. , as mr. K caveats gilbert, the justice the grandson of Justice Brandeis is here his parents had children , when Justice Brandeis in the late 20s and 30s had jewish grandchildren, then he began to write to them from russia shauna and hanukkah. That was a jewish influence late in life. I think its fair to say that little, if had very anything, impact on their jewish prudence, judicial opinions. Even in the case of cardozo. You,ne thing it did to which is a legacy of both brandeis and frankfurter, for the first time the of pointed jewish law clerks. Religiosity,ut of some of the law clerks were much more religious its fair to say, with possibly one exception with frankfurter, that it was negative actually but their jewish background had no effect on their jewish prudence. On church state issues for goldberg goldbergs jewish background did have some influence on his opinions. Think a couple things more about Justice Brandeis. You talk about this in your ank but Justice Brandeis had uncle with whom he was very close, close enough to take his middle name. He was buried there. S uncle boosted her brandeis eventually changed his middle name from in honor of his uncle. His uncle in louisville was one of the leaders of the orthodox Jewish Community. He was a jewish scholar who published a couple books on the bible with jewish publication society. Josh herthodox do was an orthodox jew. Race recalls in his letters his traditional suboxone are some friday or saturday would be at his uncles home. Didnt emulate his uncle in this way. It was his uncle who acquired him to pursue a career in the law. Now his uncle also was an abolitionist. This is interesting. Two of his sons, Abraham Lincoln davis, and henry clay denver. [laughter] was one of the founders of the republican party, the party of lincoln and the abolitionists in kentucky, was one of the three people who put lincolns name and nominations in 1860 republican convention. Closenesswas a great between the two. Was his uncles regal scholarship that inspired and ice. His religion religiosity and practice did not. He separated the two. For a fewurn now minutes to zionism. Zionism is important theme i think with the justices weve been talking about. Brandeis,than louis who was the president of the American Jewish scientist movement. Yeah. Heyour point continent contemplated resigning his Supreme Court seats in order to assume leadership of the world scientist organization. This is the 100th anniversary of the tougher declaration, in november. He was on the court it was an extrajudicial activity. Pushing and persuading Woodrow Wilson and the Wilson Administration to support this declaration. How do you explain the fact that we have somebody raised in a resolutely secular family, in kentucky. Of a descendent of the germanjewish immigration, living in a community, very unlike the shtetl existence that frankfurter came out of and moved into, Bedford Stuyvesant in the lower east side. Zionism, he discover and what does that have to do with Louis Brandeis is persona and beliefs question mark while the first 50 years of his life, he had no jewish connection at all. He was in areas with no jewish neighbors. He had one or two jewish friend thats it. Invited to be one of the negotiators of a strike in new york in 1910. For the first time in his life, he met east european jews. He found an affinity with them. His otherut jewish friends had always been a simulated german jews. Sudden, somehow, it struck a chord with him. He became interested from that experience and zionism. Some of this you mentioned there later played aroma Senate Confirmation battles moving political figure in new york at the time. Who was at their proposal, the founder political representativest in the United States they told him more and more about financing. Thisll told him more and more he did know about is on his uncle, who was a profound zionist leader. Early zionist leader. Time went on, he began to she was jewish legal most illiterate. He began to read more and more about it. His famous phrase at one point was that oh, what is that to be a better american this. An remember he said to be a great american, first you have to be a great you and to be a great jew, have to be a great scientist. Exactly. And that is an amazing proposition. Not only are there Many Americans who do not feel like they have to be a great jew to be a great american. But in any event do not have the tools to be a great jew. He became involved, it became a passion. He had wealthy jewish friends , the foundereyer of the washington post, others he brought them into the Zionist Movement. It should be noted, a tnote benjamin to do so officiated at the wedding. But brandeis was a charismatic speaker. He spoke in support of zionism and he made zionism respectable among christians as well as jews. In fact ok, i am going to give you the hook. I need to ask you to tell us one i am givingnk myself the hook in two minutes. People in the audience get ready your questions. I can pass around all of the on asked questions i have. Ut frankfurter while frankfurter in many ways brandeis, very, very different as a personality, very, very different in background. But was actually, for many, many years, actually paid by brandeis yes. To write and publish as a very progressive public intellectual and deputized by brandeis to get involved and andote the Zionist Movement the book recounts a fascinating story in which frankfurter negotiates a letter from the then king of saudi arabia saying the, you know, arabs favor Balfour Declaration and favor the creation of a jewish homeland, for which frankfurter took an outsized amount of credit, for whatever value it had. Hist fair to say that devotion to design his of was more the nature of an assignment . Yes, very much so. Brandeisankfurter to your book recounts beautifully how unbelievably tight end they were to the administration of the president s that appointed them and probably none of them were profoundly than felix given ther, i mean, long scope of fdrs tenure. You cou