https://opensiddur.org/?p=27103Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Gil Steinlauf on 27 January 20102019-09-14 14:39:20The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 27 January 2010.Textthe Open Siddur ProjectUnited States Congressional RecordUnited States Congressional RecordGil Steinlaufhttps://opensiddur.org/copyright-policy/United States Congressional Recordhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/105Opening Prayers for Legislative BodiesUnited States of Americaתחינות teḥinot21st century C.E.58th century A.M.English vernacular prayerU.S. House of RepresentativesPrayers of Guest Chaplains111th Congress
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Gil Steinlauf, Adas Israel, Washington, DC
Sponsor: Rep. Henry Waxman, (D-CA)
Date of Prayer: 01/27/2010
Madam Speaker, it is my honor to welcome Rabbi Gil Steinlauf of Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, DC, as our guest chaplain today.
When I was first elected to Congress and our family moved to Washington, we joined Adas Israel Congregation in Cleveland Park in the Washington, DC, area. Adas Israel is the largest conservative synagogue in our Nation’s capital and one of its oldest. It also has a reputation for outreach to young families and Washington, DC, transplants. We have been members for more than 30 years.
Rabbi Steinlauf came to Adas Israel in August 2008 to serve as its senior rabbi. He quickly made his mark as a charismatic, energetic, and dynamic spiritual leader. It has been a great pleasure to get to know him and his family.
Originally from Jericho, New York, Rabbi Steinlauf was ordained in 1998 at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He graduated from Princeton in 1991 with honors, and also studied at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem and the University of Judaism, now known as the American Jewish University, which is located in my district in Los Angeles.
Rabbi Steinlauf is joined this morning by his wife, Rabbi Batya Steinlauf, and his children Elana, Noah, and Meirav, his parents Bernard and Sandra, some of his extended family, and a proud delegation of Adas Israel.
Thank you, Rabbi Steinlauf, for your inspirational words.
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Our God
and God of all of our ancestors,
we ask that the light of your Presence
guide the hearts and minds of the leaders of this great nation
gathered here today.
May the wisdom of Your teachings
guide them
to act for justice,
and to lift up the cause
of the stranger, the orphan and the widow.
Master of the Universe,
open the hearts of our leaders
with Your compassion.
Help them to lead with integrity,
always remembering
that Your Wisdom
resides in every heart
as the deepest Truth
of our humanity.
May our leaders
always remember
that Your guidance
is not in the Heavens alone,
nor far beyond the sea,
but within each of us –
in our mouths
and in our hearts
to carry into action in the world.
May our leaders therefore
serve as beacons of justice
and compassion,
making this country
a light to the nations.
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Rabbi Gil Steinlauf serves as rabbi at Congregation Kol Shalom in Rockville, Maryland and formerly served as senior rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation, Washington, DC. He is the co-creator of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism’s “Innovation Labs” for synagogue renewal. He is the first senior rabbi of a large, historic, conservative congregation to come out as openly gay, and has sought to create an atmosphere of constructive dialogue on the issues facing modern culture and Judaism. Along with Adas clergy and staff, Rabbi Steinlauf co-founded three nationally recognized projects now operating out of Adas Israel: YP@AI for Jewish Young Professionals, MakomDC for 21st century experiential learning, and the Jewish Mindfulness Center of Washington for meditation, yoga, and contemplative Jewish practices. Rabbi Steinlauf had previously been the rabbi of Temple Israel in New Jersey, is a summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University, studied at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem, earned an MHL from the University of Judaism, and received rabbinic ordination and an MA at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Currently, Rabbi Steinlauf is on the boards of the Washington Chapter of the American Jewish Committee, A Wider Bridge, and ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal. He also sits on the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion Council, and on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee of JTS. He is an alumnus of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, a member of the Center for Jewish Learning and Leadership’s Rabbis Without Borders program, and is on the current GLEAN cohort of spiritual entrepreneurs.
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