Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was the first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court, died at 87.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder shared the following statement in response to the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

“As Jews across the United States and the world welcomed the hope that comes with the first night of Rosh Hashanah, we learned of the devastating loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg was a trailblazer on behalf of gender equality, and she paved the way for women in the law and on the courts. She fought fiercely and unflinchingly to advance and defend the rights of women and minorities, and, in the tradition of Justices Louis D. Brandeis and Benjamin Cardozo, embodied the principle of equal justice for all under the law, as well as the Jewish value of ‘tzedek, tzedek, tirdof’ – ‘justice, justice shall you pursue.’

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was the first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court, died at 87.

A fierce jurist known for her outsized presence and outspokenness, Ginsburg died from “complications of metastatic pancreas cancer,” the Supreme Court announced Friday night. She had survived multiple bouts of different cancers over the course of two decades, vowing that she was healthy enough to continue her work and at times returning to the bench shortly after hospital stays.

Ginsburg’s death came on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, six weeks before the presidential election and at a time of intense political polarization.

Ronald Lauder added in his statement: ”Three years ago, during Rosh Hashanah services, Justice Ginsburg shared, ‘’The Jewish religion is an ethical religion. That is, we’re taught to do right, to love mercy, do justice not because there’s going to be any reward in heaven or punishment in hell. We live righteously because that’s how people should live and not anticipating any award in the hereafter.’’

“May we follow in her solid footsteps, may we heed her words. Justice Ginsburg’s life is a legacy and a testament, and her memory will be a blessing and a lesson forever more. As we enter a new year, may her courage, resilience, and wisdom guide us all. On behalf of the World Jewish Congress, I extend deepest condolences to Justice Ginsburg’s family, friends and colleagues.”

The Brooklyn native was the daughter of Nathan Bader, a Russian immigrant and furrier, and the former Celia Amster.