NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, speaking on Sunday at the nation’s oldest synagogue, heralded the five Jewish justices who preceded her on the nation’s highest court as champions of the needy.

“Law as protector of the oppressed, poor and the minority is evident in the body of work of Justices Brandeis, Cardozo, Frankfurter, Goldberg and Fortas,” Ginsburg said.

Ginsburg gave the keynote address at the Touro Synagogue’s annual reading of a letter sent to the synagogue by President George Washington in 1790, reaffirming the congregation’s religious freedom.

The synagogue is the oldest Jewish house of worship in the nation.

The reading of the letter and the speech also marked the beginning of “Celebrate 350: Jewish Life in America 1654-2004.”

About 300 attended the speech, which was simulcast at a church down the street.

In her speech, Ginsburg quoted Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, who said “my concerns for justice, for peace, for enlightenment, stems from my heritage.” Goldberg served on the court from 1962 to 1965.

Ginsburg, who was appointed in 1993, also spoke of the opportunity that Jewish people have had to thrive in America.

“What is the difference between a New York City garment district bookkeeper and a Supreme Court Justice? Just one generation,” said Ginsburg, whose mother worked at that Manhattan job.

Washington sent the letter to the congregation in response to a letter from Moses Seixas, who expressed his appreciation of the religious liberty under the new presidency.