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Sponsor: Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)
Date of Prayer: 04/30/2003
Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that today, as we commemorate Yom Hashoah, the commemoration of the Holocaust here in Washington, DC, that I ask the House to join me in welcoming Rabbi Manny Behar, who gave the invocation this morning.
Rabbi Behar is one of the most prominent spiritual leaders in the Queens community. Since 1992, he has been the executive director of the Queens Jewish Community Council, an umbrella organization for more than 90 synagogues and Jewish institutions throughout our borough.
In this position, he oversees a network of social service programs which include every service we can imagine, from counseling for victims of September 11 to assistance for homebound elderly to food distribution to job placement and training.
Rabbi Behar should feel at home here in the halls of Congress, because before coming to the Queens Jewish Community Council he had a distinguished career working in government. He was special assistant to Queens Borough president Claire Shulman, where he played a critical role in obtaining the historic New York State Supreme Court decision upholding the validity of Eruvim under American law.
During his tenure working for New York City controller Elizabeth Holtzman, he did research which led to the first conviction of an American company for participating in the Arab boycott of Israel.
It is my pleasure to also welcome Rabbi Behar’s wife Evelyn, his two sons Moshe David and Nathan Benjamin, his father Moshe, and his cousins, Shalom and Cynthia Brilliant, who are here today. We wish Rabbi Behar’s mom Rivka a speedy get well.
On behalf of the House of Representatives we would like to thank him, not only for his eloquent words this morning, but more importantly, for his service to his faith, his community, and to his country.
| Contribute a translation | Source (English) |
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Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain: | |
Today people around the world remember the martyrdom of 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. We also remember the leadership shown in this very Chamber, and the courage of our Armed Forces who brought an end to the Holocaust by defeating the Nazi regime. | |
Today, as always, we as a Nation stand for freedom and opportunity for ourselves and for all people. Once again, the men and women of this great body are called upon to make decisions that will impact on the future of individuals, of nations, of all humankind. Certainly such an awesome responsibility demands that we turn to God in prayer. | |
May God on this day and every day grant all the Members of the House of Representatives the wisdom to make the decisions that will make a nation and a world where all may enjoy peace, freedom, and opportunity. May you go from strength to strength in the service of God’s children. | |
May God continue to grant success to our soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. May they speedily achieve their mission and return home to the embrace of their families, and may God always bestow his blessings on the United States of America. |
Source(s)
108th Congress, 1st Session
Issue: Vol. 149, No. 63 — Daily Edition (April 30, 2003)
link: https://chaplain.house.gov/archive/index.html?id=824
“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Manny Behar on 30 April 2003” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
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