Jewish group lights candle, violates Shabbat in order to mourn ‘death’ of Roe v. Wade
One year after the US Supreme Court overturned “Roe v Wade,” many pro-abortion groups are mourning the decision. One group, claiming to be “inspired by Jewish values,” marked the demise of pro-abortion legislation by profaning Shabbat and making a mockery of an austere Jewish custom.
It should be emphasized that the “Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization” decision did not make abortion illegal. It removed the judicial illusion claiming that abortion was a federally protected constitutional right and returned the power of legislation of abortion to the individual states. In 13 states with so-called trigger laws, the Dobbs decision meant that abortion was banned immediately.
Some pro-abortion activists commemorated the one-year anniversary of the decision by literally mourning. Moira Donegan wrote an op-ed in The Guardian titled “A year ago Roe v Wade was overturned. Grieve for the new America.” She claimed that the decision divided the US into two classes of citizens; men, who “are trusted to plan their families and control their bodies,” and women, who are not.
“This is not the kind of thing we are accustomed to memorializing in America: the lost dreams, the ruined health, the unwritten novels and symphonies, the early deaths, the searing and profound humiliation,” Donegan concluded. “We do not like to dwell on our failures, our violences, our ignoble reversals. But it is worth dwelling on this one today. Take a moment to remember the women who have been denied abortions since Dobbs – those who are hurt and threatened by their pregnancies, and those who simply do not want them – and grieve for them. Grieve, and wonder about what other lives they might have led, if they had a choice.”
Shabbat is intensely focused on the family, but last Saturday, some Jews dedicated the day God rested after creating Man and Woman to mourning the demise of Roe v. Wade. Alongside the Sabbath candles traditionally lit by the family’s matriarch, some women also lit a yahrtzeit candle, traditionally lit to commemorate the passing of a loved one. Ironically, this “Shabbat” gathering was broadcast on Zoom, an activity prohibited by the laws of Shabbat.
“We knew that this was a time that we needed to mark Jewishly,” said Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, scholar in residence at the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). “And we knew it was a time that demanded ritual because this is a big moment, and it felt that this was the correct moment for honoring and mourning everyone whose lives have been taken because of these horrific government policies.”
“Forced birth takes lives, and it takes lives disproportionately of black women, Indigenous women, those who are struggling to get by,” said Ruttenberg. “We’re never going to know everyone’s name. We’re never going to know everybody’s identity. But we need to honor them.” The yahrzeit candle, she said, was one way their memory can “illuminate our lives today.”
About 250 people participated in the Yahrzeit of Roe Virtual Candle Lighting, sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women. The NCJW has also created a fund to help people access abortions, raising $1.5 million in the past year. While claiming to be “inspired by Jewish values,” the organization advocates for causes that are prohibited by Jewish law, such as abortion and same-sex marriage. While claiming to be pro-Israel, the organization has frequently come out on the side of antisemites like Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) when they were condemned for their anti-Zionism.
It should be emphasized that while Jewish law permits abortion under some conditions, for example, when the mother’s life is in danger, there is no credible rabbinic opinion that permits abortion on demand. Monetary hardship is not a reason to justify murdering an infant.
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