Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) asks a question at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, May 1, 2019. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

Condolence messages from elected officials and Jewish groups continue to pour in following the death on Friday of US Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the country’s first female Jewish senator.

In a statement, US President Joe Biden described Feinstein, who passed away at the age of 90, as a “trailblazer.”

“Often the only woman in the room, Dianne was a role model for so many Americans — a job she took seriously by mentoring countless public servants, many of whom now serve in my administration,” Biden said. “She had an immense impact on younger female leaders for whom she generously opened doors. Dianne was tough, sharp, always prepared, and never pulled a punch, but she was also a kind and loyal friend, and that’s what [First Lady Jill Biden] and I will miss the most.”

Posting on X/Twitter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also noted Feinstein’s role in breaking glass ceilings.

“Whenever she did something, she was often the first to do it,” Schumer said. “She didn’t just push down doors that were closed for women — she held them open for generations of women to follow.”

Feinstein was born Dianne Goldman in San Francisco in 1933 to a Jewish father and an ethnically Jewish mother who had been raised in the Russian Orthodox Church. After attending both a Catholic convent school and a Jewish day school, Feinstein at age 20 chose Judaism. She entered politics after being elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969. Nine years later, she was elevated from president of the Board of Supervisors to acting mayor of San Francisco following the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and gay rights advocate Harvey Milk. After winning election and re-election as mayor, Feinstein was term-limited and unsuccessfully ran for governor of California in 1990. 

In 1992, Feinstein won a special election for a vacant US Senate seat in California, becoming the nation’s first female Jewish senator. She went on to become America’s longest-serving female senator, with 31 years in office.

In the Senate, Feinstein described herself as a strong supporter of Israel but broke with pro-Israel positions on a number of issues, particularly in recent years. Feinstein supported the Obama administration’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal and opposed the Trump administration’s 2017 decision to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In a letter to then-US President Donald Trump immediately before the embassy announcement, Feinsein called the move a “terrible decision” that would spark violence and undermine a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Feinstein had voted in favor of a 1995 bill calling on the president to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, but she was also the author of the provision that allowed successive Democratic and Republican administrations to waive that requirement indefinitely.

American Jewish groups on Friday mourned Feinstein’s death.

“For American Jews, particularly Jewish woman, Feinstein smashed glass ceilings as a powerful politician driven by her Jewish values and championing women’s rights in Washington,” Jewish Federations of North America said in a statement. “With her colleague Barbara Boxer serving by her side, the Senate had two Jewish women representing the largest state in the union for many years, a source of pride for many in our community.”

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) in a statement said that Feinstein’s legacy “will continue to inspire those who strive for a more just world.”

“The Jewish world is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein, a remarkable public servant whose dedication to the American people was truly admirable,” WJC said. “Her distinguished career and tireless efforts have left a lasting impact on the United States.”