Sponsor: Rep. French Hill (R-AR)
Date of Prayer: 01/10/2020
Mr. Speaker, today I rise with my friend John Boozman, former Member of this House and now a Senator from Arkansas, to welcome today’s guest chaplain, my dear friend, Rabbi Barry Block of Congregation B’nai Israel in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Realizing his love for reformed Judaism at a young age, Rabbi Block earned his master of arts in Hebrew letters from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion before being ordained 3 years following completion of his degree.
Having devoted much of his life to the church, Rabbi Block found his way to Congregation B’nai Israel in my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2013, after serving over 20 years at Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, Texas.
He has served Reform Judaism nationally and regionally as a member of the Board of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and chair of its resolutions and nominating committees and as president of the Southwest Association of Reform Rabbis.
He is the loving father of his two sons, Robert and Daniel.
I want to thank Rabbi Block for his gracing us with a wonderful opening prayer and wish him, his family, and his congregation continued success in our community of Little Rock.
Contribute a translation | Source (English) |
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Source of blessing, we come before You today asking Your blessings upon the United States House of Representatives. | |
At this time of grave division, inspire these Members of the people’s House to reach across every kind of aisle, to build new friendships that may grow into opportunities for greater understanding, seeking shared solutions to America’s greatest problems. | |
As the winds of war threaten all humanity, inspire the Members of the people’s House to work toward peace, for the ability to wage peace is a greater measure of a nation’s strength than the capacity to wage war. | |
Consecrate this House to perfect the Nation our Founders could not even envision — justice, liberty, freedom from persecution and discrimination for every person within our borders. Then will this House and our Nation truly be blessed. | |
אָמֵן׃ |
Amen. |
Source(s)
116th Congress, 2nd Session. Congressional Record, Issue: Vol. 166, No. 6 — Daily Edition (January 10, 2020)


“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Barry Block on 10 January 2020” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
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