Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Abram Simon, Washington Hebrew Congregation, Washington, DC
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 29 May 1929
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Our Father,
we invoke Thy holy and majestic name
as we joyously begin our work of to-day.
The thought of Thy gracious presence
gives consecration to our labors.
May we earnestly endeavor
to realize Thy holy will
in our legislative tasks,
so that our country and its people
may reap the reward of our devoted services.
On this eve of Decoration Day,
sacredly recalling those
who have made the supreme sacrifice
for their country’s cause
and are now with Thee,
we pray fervently
that the memory of their devotion
so inspire us that our sacrifices
for our beloved land in times of peace
may be none the less worthy
of Thine acceptance.
Upon the President,
Cabinet,
and Congress,
and upon the citizens of our country,
mayest Thou pour Thy blessing
in an enriching stream of peace,
good will,
and love.
To Thee be all the glory and honor
now and evermore. Amen.
This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fifth month of the first session of the 71st US Congress in the House of Representatives, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 71, part 2 (29 May 1929), page 2173.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 71, part 2 (29 May 1929), p. 2173
Abram Simon (1872–1938), was a rabbi and leader in the Reform movement in the early 20th century. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he was educated at the University of Cincinnati where he earned his B.A. in 1894, the same year he was ordained by Hebrew Union College. Upon ordination he served as rabbi of B'nai Israel Congregation in Sacramento and then as rabbi of Temple Israel in Omaha, Nebraska (1899–1904). In 1903 he was elected as the first rabbi of Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, D.C.. In Washington, Simon became a communal leader. In addition to the Board of Education he was a trustee and later president of the Columbia Hospital for Women and also president of the Public Library of Washington. Rabbi Simon was a member of the Red Cross during World War I, broadcast radio lectures, and was president of both the Board of Education in Washington as well as the Conference of Christians and Jews. He was a founding member of the Reform movement's Committee on Jewish Education. Simon launched the National Committee on Religion, which boosted synagogue attendance and set up Hebrew schools. In 1917, Simon earned a Ph.D. from George Washington University, writing on the "The Constructive Character and Function of Religious Progress." He was president of the Central Conference of American Rabbi from 1923 to 1925, a founder and later president of the Synagogue Council of America. He was an early enthusiast of women's participation in the synagogue. Fay Sonnenreich recalled that in 1920, with his permission, she and another young girl sat in the pulpit, held the Torah and read from it. "I still remember the shocked expressions on the faces of the congregation," she recalled many years later. "Dr. Simon told us afterwards that the board of trustees was angry with him for permitting girls to participate in what traditionally belonged to the men. But he believed in developing the potential of each individual, and his encouragement made a lasting impact upon our lives."
the Congressional Record of the United States of America
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Printing Office and issued when Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks. At the end of a session of Congress, the daily editions are compiled in bound volumes constituting the permanent edition. Statutory authorization for the Congressional Record is found in Chapter 9 of Title 44 of the United States Code. (wikipedia)
Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)
Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeniשְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)
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