https://opensiddur.org/?p=20010Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff on 1 September 20172018-04-29 10:53:02The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 1 September 2017.Textthe Open Siddur ProjectUnited States Congressional RecordUnited States Congressional RecordArnold E. Resnicoffhttps://opensiddur.org/copyright-policy/United States Congressional Recordhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/105Opening Prayers for Legislative BodiesUnited States of AmericaU.S. House of Representatives115th CongressPrayers of Guest Chaplainsanti-fascistUnite the Right rally2017 Charlottesville attackתחינות teḥinot21st century C.E.58th century A.M.English vernacular prayer
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, Retired Chaplain, U.S. Navy, Washington, DC
Date of Prayer: 09/01/2017
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God, author of liberty,
we pray,
reflect,
meditate in different ways,
but sing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,”
for unalienable rights,
our Nation’s backbone,
come from You.
Life,
liberty,
pursuit of happiness––
pursuing justice too––
doors opened;
walls and ceilings shattered;
freedom shining through.
Today, in 1939,
Hitler invades Poland.
War spreads:
liberty, life
denied beyond a chosen few.
Humanity itself
rejected with the Nazi stamp:
“life––
unworthy of life.”
We fought, died
for freedom’s cause.
Lincoln taught:
remember those who fought,
gave their all,
by continuing their unfinished work
with increased devotion to their cause.
Then they don’t die in vain.
Neo–Nazis,
racists,
bigots,
would quench the flame of freedom’s
holy light.
We pray for,
rescue Harvey’s victims,
but hatred’s storm clouds gather,
threaten all.
Help us reaffirm our vision––
brighter,
more inclusive than before:
every human life created equal,
holy,
none less human than our own.
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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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