Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Sidney Harcsztark on 18 March 1965

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Sidney Harcsztark and the Congressional Record of the United States of America

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18 March 2024 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

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Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies, United States of America

Tags:

English vernacular prayer, U.S. House of Representatives, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, 89th Congress, 20th century C.E., תחינות teḥinot, 58th century A.M.

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Sidney Harcsztark, administrator, Yeshiva Rambam, 3121 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, New York
Sponsor: Rep. Eugene J. Keogh (D-NY)
Date of Prayer: 18 March 1965

Mr. KEOGH. Mr. Speaker, our guest chaplain today is a distinguished Brooklynite, and the following release issued by him is quite interesting:
A refugee from Dachau had his dream come true today when he stood before the opening of the U.S. House of Representatives delivering his invocation as a clergyman of the Jewish faith.
It is Congressman Eugene J. Keogh, Democrat, of Brooklyn, who was instrumental in inviting Rabbi Sidney Harcsztark, a prominent figure in the field of Jewish education in New York, to open the session of the House with a prayer.
Serving as administrator of Yeshiva Rambam, a progressive Jewish orthodox all-day school in Brooklyn, New York, Rabbi Harcsztark is a descendant of a prominent rabbinic family in pre-war Poland and was actively engaged in many religious and humanitarian activities in the ghetto of Lodz, Poland. Prior to his arrival in the United States, Rabbi Harcsztark was affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration serving the UNRRA team 503, in Zeilsheim, Germany.

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	O Heavenly Father, Thou who hast endowed men with the noble ambition and blessed ability to lead their fellow men in the paths of righteousness of state, and hast inspired them to serve the people of these United States of America with honor.
	Invest those legislators gathered here in august assembly with dedicated souls so that they may illustrate the finest and most worthy traditions of this great democracy to the end that they will be praised for their actions and deeds by the American people and mankind the world over.
	Bless these servants with powerful hands so that with the practical sagacity which is their hallmark they may unite and solidify a globe jigsawed with boundaries. Bless their new quest to grant real meaning to the dignity of men, as all men are born in the image of God.
	Grant them courage and wisdom so that through their guidance and leadership they may bring healing for the multitude of lives emptied of meaning, solace for the multitude of souls scarred with the weary search for peace and rest, comfort for the multitude of hearts stabbed with the frustrations of our everyday existence.
	May the Lord grant strength unto His people.
	May He bless His people with peace. Amen.

This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the third month of the first session of the 89th US Congress in the House of Representatives, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 111, part 4 (1965), pages 5337-5338.

Source(s)

Congressional Record, vol. 111, part 4 (18 March 1965), p. 5337

Congressional Record, vol. 111, part 4 (18 March 1965), p. 5338

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“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Sidney Harcsztark on 18 March 1965” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

Sidney Harcsztark

Rabbi Sidney "Zusha" Harcsztark, born in Poland, was an Orthodox rabbi in the United States. From a prominent rabbinic family he was actively engaged in many religious and humanitarian activities in the ghetto of Lodz, Poland. A survivor of Dachau he served United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration team 503, in Zeilsheim, Germany. After arriving in the United States, he worked as an administrator of Yeshiva Rambam in Brooklyn, New York. We would like to add more details to Rabbi Harcsztark's life -- if you know more, please contact us.

the Congressional Record of the United States of America

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Printing Office and issued when Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks. At the end of a session of Congress, the daily editions are compiled in bound volumes constituting the permanent edition. Statutory authorization for the Congressional Record is found in Chapter 9 of Title 44 of the United States Code. (wikipedia)

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Flag of the United States House of Representatives

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Sidney S. Guthman on 19 March 1981

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Dr. Sidney S. Tedesche on 26 March 1935

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Meyer Heschl Leifer on 11 February 1965

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Avraham Soltes on 21 March 1966

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Sidney S. Guthman on 22 April 1982

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Dr. Joachim Prinz on 6 May 1965

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Dov Edelstein on 8 March 1979

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17