Prayer at the Presidential Signing Ceremony for the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act, by Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff on 22 December 2010

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Arnold E. Resnicoff

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9 December 2018 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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Military Personnel & Veterans, United States of America

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	O Lord who made a world of change, You challenged us to mend, repair, and change the world.
	Some lose faith and think that things will never change, But we Americans – of every faith – religious faith or not – Refuse to give up hope or abandon that most American of dreams: That we can make a difference, and that the future can be better than the past.
	Today we make a change as President Obama signs this bill to law. Today we recall that unity, not uniformity, is our goal, That we need not fear differences Among those united to defend our nation’s freedoms and its dreams.
	Today we honor ALL brave men and women, Including those who served so long without the honor they deserved.
	O Lord our God, and God of generations past, Help us move forward, Toward a nation a little more united, more indivisible, A union a bit more perfect, founded on a great deal more respect.
	Let us pray that if the day has not yet dawned When we can see the face of God in others Then we see, at least, a face as human as our own.
	Lord, help us keep faith the day will dawn When justice flows – for ALL – like mighty waters, When liberty will be proclaimed throughout the land, When every man or woman can stand tall, And none shall be afraid.
	And may we say, Amen.

A prayer offered by Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff at the Presidential signing ceremony for the repeal of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) law on December 22, 2010, in Washington, D.C. It was originally planned to be held at the White House, but interest in attending the ceremony was so large that the venue was changed to the Department of the Interior. For a personal reflection on this prayer, find this essay by Tanya L. Domi.

. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike . 4.0 . International .

“Prayer at the Presidential Signing Ceremony for the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act, by Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff on 22 December 2010” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Arnold E. Resnicoff

Arnold E. Resnicoff (born 1946) is a Conservative rabbi who began his career serving as a military officer and then as a military chaplain. He served in Vietnam and Europe before attending rabbinical school after which he was a U.S. Navy Chaplain for almost 25 years. After the Vietnam War, he promoted the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and delivered the closing prayer at its 1982 dedication. Rabbi Resnicoff was present at the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and the following year, President Ronald Reagan shared Rabbi Resnicoff's eyewitness account. After retiring from the military he became the National Director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee and served as Special Assistant (for Values and Vision) to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, serving at the equivalent military rank of Brigadier General. Resnicoff holds several degrees, including an honorary doctorate. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, and the Chapel of Four Chaplains Hall of Heroes Gold Medallion.

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17