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Sponsor: Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY)
Date of Prayer: 21 April 1983
Mr. JACKSON. Mr. President, I want to say a special word of thanks to my friend, Rabbi Abraham Hecht, for his opening prayer at our session today.
Rabbi Hecht is a wonderful man and a strong community-minded leader. For more than 30 years, he has served the Shaare Zion Congregation on Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn–a flourishing congregation of more than 10,000 families. He and his wife have their own family of 10 children. It is not surprising that Rabbi Hecht is a great believer in the importance of close and supportive family ties and in the value of family traditions in the raising and education of the younger generation.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I am sure the entire Senate would echo the sentiments of the Senator from Washington. We are grateful to the Rabbi for his leading the Senate in prayer as we open this session.
Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, today this Chamber has had the honor· of having Rabbi Abraham B. Hecht, a leader in the American orthodox community offer the opening prayer. Rabbi Hecht is president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America and Rabbi of the largest Syrian Sephardic Congregation in America, Congregation Shaare Zion in Brooklyn, N.Y. He also serves with distinction on the board of governors of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.
The Syrian Sephardic community of America has over 30,000 members and has established an impressive record of community service on both a national and international scale. The community should be commended for its old age home facilities, network of all day schools, community centers, beautifully modern congregational buildings, and other communal institutions that so greatly benefit the areas they serve.
It is a pleasure to have Rabbi Hecht and other distinguished members of the Syrian Sephardic community join us today, and I especially want to thank the Rabbi for delivering such an inspiring prayer.
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Our Father in Heaven, we beseech you to bless the Members of this august body, who represent the people of our beloved United States. We ask also for Your blessings for our dear President Ronald Reagan and his family, and for the members of his cabinet, and advisers. | |
In these unsettled and turbulent times, when the fate of the world is indirectly determined by the decisions reached in this Chamber, we instinctively turn to You, our Heavenly Father, for Your divine assistance in guiding the distinguished Representatives in their deliberations. | |
Dear God; we are humbled as we realize the awesome responsibility they share for the peace and security, not only of our own country, but also for the international community. This, in addition to their immediate obligation of passing legislation designed to improve the quality of life for all of our citizens. It is precisely because we recognize the enormousness of their task, that we plead for your divine inspiration and guidance. | |
Almighty God; we are always mindful of the innumerable blessings of freedom, liberty, and equality of opportunity enjoyed by all the inhabitants of our blessed country. And it is with a sense of deep gratitude and acknowledgment of Your kindness, that we pray for Your continued protection and blessings. | |
We supplicate You to please grant to every Senator good health, happiness, peace of mind, and tranquility. May they all succeed in utilizing their great talents and wisdom for the prosperity of our country, and for the advancement of the cause of peace and harmony throughout the world. | |
Together let us all, in a spirit of reverence and humility, answer this prayer with a resounding Amen. |
This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fourth month of the first session of the 98th US Congress in the Senate, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 129, part 7 (21 April 1983), page 9405.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 129, part 7 (21 April 1983), p. 9405
“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Abraham Hecht on 21 April 1983” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
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