![the Open Siddur Project [logo]](https://opensiddur.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Open-Siddur-Project-Logo-2016.svg){kind=logo}
Contributor(s):
Shared on:
Categories:
Tags:Sponsor: Rep. Stephen Solarz (D-NY)
Date of Prayer: 11 May 1976
Mr. SOLARZ. Mr. Speaker, this morning we had the pleasure of having the opening prayer delivered by one of my good friends and constituents, Rabbi Dr. Israel Schorr,[1] In the Congressional Record, Rabbi Schorr’s last name is misspelled “Shorr.” We have corrected the misspelling in this transcription. of Brooklyn.
As some of our colleagues may know, I have the privilege of representing the community of Boro Park,[2] A/k/a Borough Park. which is the largest orthodox Jewish community in the world today, and Rabbi Schorr who just delivered our invocation is the distinguished rabbi and inspirational leader: of Congregation Beth-El of Boro Park, which is the largest orthodox congregation in the largest orthodox Jewish community in the world.
Rabbi Schorr is a man of rare intellect. Trained and educated under the famous and great scholars of pre-World War Ⅱ Poland and Hungary, he is not only a renowned scholar in rabbinical studies, but is also a respected theologian in the related field of the philosophy of religion. Rabbi Schorr’s scholarly brilliance is known far and wide and he has lectured in many colleges and academies in the fields of Jewish philosophy and history.
Besides being a man of great intelligence, Rabbi Schorr is a person of inspiring initiative. After coming to the United States he saw the need to gain a better command of the English language. He, therefore, attended night school and went on to further his education at Columbia University, where he earned his B.S. M.A., and Ph.D. in English literature. As someone who was also a Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University, I can testify to the impressiveness of Rabbi Schorr’s secular academic achievements.
Along with his many duties as rabbi of one of the largest synagogues in Brooklyn, Rabbi Schorr served and continues to serve many institutions of Torah learning, Zionist and philanthropic organizations, and numerous causes that promote and preserve Judaism. He is the former president, and current national vice president of Hapole Mizrachi Organizations of America.
He also serves as president of the Department of Education and Culture of Torah and Religion of Mizrachi in America, and for many years has served as chaplain of the New York Department of Sanitation. He is also head of the Hebrew Board of Education of the Hebrew Institute of Boro Park and was recently elected as one of the presidents of the Boro Park Board of Rabbis.
He is, Mr. Speaker, a good and great man, and in this Bicentennial Year I take great pride and pleasure in commending him to our colleagues this afternoon.
| Contribute a translation | Source (English) |
|---|---|
Lord and Host of All Creation: Those assembled in this solemn place, the Members of Congress invoke Thy presence to abide with them in their deliberations of enacting laws that will affect the fate and state of the present and the future. By Your indwelling, truth will prevail. Avoiding You, truth yields to falsehood and the best to the worst. | |
Eternal One, enlighten them on how to blend the ideal with the real, that the pressures of the immediate should not obscure the design of the American vision; that the pragmatic goals should not clip the wings of their prophetic zeal. May our faith in righteousness be so persuasive that we should not have to resort to power to convince others. Amen. |
This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fifth month of the second session of the 94th US Congress in the House of Representatives, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 122, part 11 (11 May 1976), page 13362.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 122, part 11 (11 May 1976), p. 13362
Notes
“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Israel Schorr on 11 May 1976” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Israel Schorr
United States Congressional Record
Flag of the United States House of Representatives(This image is set to automatically show as the "featured image" in category lists and in shared links on social media.)- Properly attribute the work to Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Israel Schorr and United States Congressional Record.
- Clearly indicate the date you accessed the work and in what ways, if any, you modified it. (If you have adapted the work, let us know so that the contributor might consider endorsing your revision.)
- Provide the stable link to this resource: <https://opensiddur.org/?p=55775>.
- Indicate that the original work was shared under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication. (To redistribute or remix this work in any format, modified or unmodified, you must refer to the terms of the license under which the work is shared.)
Comments, Corrections, and Queries