Guest Chaplain: Dr. Julius Mark, senior rabbi, Temple Emanu-El, New York, New York
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 29 March 1960
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Almighty God and Father,
for ages past men have sought Thee.
Where might they find Thee?
How might they know Thee?
Thou art as close to us as breathing,
yet art farther away than the farthermost star.
Thou art as familiar to us as the light of the sun,
yet art as inscrutable as the vast solitudes of the night.
To the seer of old Thou didst say:
“Thou canst not see my face,
but I will cause all my goodness
to pass before thee.”[1] Cf. Exodus 33:19-20
Thus, Thy presence is manifest
in the goodness which dwells
in the hearts of all—
whether they occupy stations
that are exalted or humble—
who strive to make this world
a happier place for Thy children
of all races,
religions,
and nations to inhabit
by strengthening the bastions of freedom
and forging more securely the bonds
of human brotherhood
in Thy fatherhood.
Bless Thou
the Members of this great legislative body,
the Senate of the United States,
who have been chosen
by the citizens of our country
to preserve and advance
our precious democracy.
Gathered in this great Capital City,
upon the invitation of the President of our country,
are thousands of citizens
from every section of our land
to deliberate upon how best they can assist
our children and youth
to assume the responsibilities of citizenship
in a nation dedicated to liberty.
Wilt Thou, O Father,
cause them
and all of us to realize
that if we build in wood,
it will some day rot.
If we build in marble,
it will crumble before the onslaughts
of time.
Even if we build in steel,
it is destined to flow as water
before the melting processes
of the universe.
But if we build in human character—
if we build usefulness,
integrity,
respect for law,
and simple goodness
in the lives of our youth—
then we build for eternity. Amen.
This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the third month of the second session of the 86th US Congress in the Senate, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 106, part 5 (1960), page 6731.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 106, part 5 (29 March 1960), p. 6731
Rabbi Dr. Julius Mark (1899-1977), from Cincinnati, Ohio, was a prominent Reform movement rabbi in the United States, leading Temple Emanu‐El in New York City. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, he was ordained at HUC. He served two terms as president of the Synagogue Council of America, the national coordinating agency of the rabbinical and congregational bodies of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Judaism. Before arriving at Temple Emanu-El, he served Temple Beth El (South Bend, Indiana, from 1922 to 1926), and the Vine Street Temple (Nashville, Tennessee, from 1926 to 1948). After Pearl Harbor in 1941, he volunteered as a military chaplain and served the US Navy. He became Jewish chaplain to the Pacific Fleet, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander on the staff of Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz. During the war, Rabbi Mark wrote more than 10,000 letters to relatives of military personnel, both Jewish and non‐Jewish, whom he had met, reassuring those at home that their loved ones were fine. From 1949 to 1963, he was visiting professor of homiletics and practical theology at the New York School of the Hebrew Union College‐Jewish Institute of Religion. Five colleges and universities awarded Rabbi Mark honorary doctorates in law, divinity, humanities, sacred theology and humane letters. In addition, he received the Human Relations Award of the Methodist Church in 1963, the Gold Medallion for Courageous Leadership of the National Conference of Christians and Jews in 1966, the Clergyman of the Year award in 1969 from Religious Heritage of America and was awarded plaques by the Israel Bond organization in recognition of devoted support of Israel” in 1967, 1968 and 1970. Among his many posts through the years were life trustee of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, membership on the executive committee of the United States Commission for U.N.E.S.C.O., on the board of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, on the Eastern board of the Anti‐Defamation League, on the governing board of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, honorary vice chairman of the Lighthouse for the Blind, honorary president of the American Jewish Encyclopedia Society and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His books included Behaviorism and Religion, The Rabbi Faces Some Big Dilemmas, The Art of Preaching and Reaching for the Moon.
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)
Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)
Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeniשְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)
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