Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arthur Schneier on 10 May 1956

Contributor(s):

Arthur Schneier, the Congressional Record of the United States of America and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Shared on:

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

Categories:

🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies

Tags:

84th Congress, 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., Cold War (1953–1962), English vernacular prayer, U.S. House of Representatives, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, תחינות teḥinot

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Arthur Schneier, M.A., Congregation B’nai Jacob, Brooklyn, New York
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 10 May 1956

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Almighty God, who hast delivered me from the hands of the Nazi and Communist tyrants and hast brought me to these blessed shores, I lead Thy children in prayer for our land, the haven for the homeless, the refuge for the oppressed, the beacon of hope and faith for all the enslaved in the world.
	Lord, bestow Thy blessings of plenty upon our precious homeland. Protect her against the furor of nature’s disasters and the onslaught of her enemies. May she remain the wonder garden of Thy creation where we, Thy children, dwell together in peace and brotherhood.^[1] Cf. Psalms 133:1.
	O Father, bless the men of this sanctuary of deliberations. Give them and their families health of body and soul, peace of mind, and happiness. May their dedicated service, zeal, and enthusiasm earn the faith and confidence of the people they represent so that they may continue to labor in Thy vineyard for peace and security on this troubled earth and the preservation of our American heritage. Amen.

This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fifth month of the second session of the 84th US Congress in the House of Representatives, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 102, part 6 (10 May 1956), page 7941.

Source(s)

Congressional Record, vol. 102, part 6 (10 May 1956), p. 7941

Notes

Notes
1	Cf. Psalms 133:1.

Arthur Schneier

Rabbi Arthur Schneier (born March 20, 1930) is an Austrian-American rabbi and human rights activist. Rabbi Schneier has served for over 50 years as the Senior Rabbi of New York City’s Park East Synagogue. While being honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Bill Clinton in 2001, Rabbi Schneier was described as “a Holocaust survivor who has devoted a lifetime to overcoming forces of hatred and intolerance and set an inspiring example of spiritual leadership by encouraging interfaith dialog and intercultural understanding, as well as promoting the cause of religious freedom around the world.”

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 (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 naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת 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.)

Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=55771

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "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)

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arthur Schneier on 10 May 1956

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