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Almighty God and Father:
Unto Thee do we pour out our hearts in thanksgiving
for the freedom we enjoy
and for the heritage of liberty and human dignity
which our forefathers have bequeathed to us
as our birthright.
We thank Thee for the United States of America
and for the spirit which causes men here
to strive to break down the barriers
that separate man from his fellow man.
Help us, O Father, to direct our efforts
to the end that within the borders of our blessed land
there may always be heard
the glorious strains of a symphony of humanity
united together in brotherhood
under the divine fatherhood.
We thank Thee too
for the memory of our comradeship in time of war.
Grant that we may never forget
the purposes and the goals for which we suffered
and for which so many of our comrades died.
May we remain united
in the search for peace and brotherhood
even as we were once united in the struggle
to overcome tyranny on the battlefield.
Sanctify our memories
and cause them to serve as an unfailing inspiration to us
to bring closer the day
when each man shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree
with none to make him afraid. (Micah 4:4)
Speed the day when nations shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks,[1] Cf. Micah 4:3, Isaiah 2:4.
when Thy divine peace shall be made to reign
in the hearts of all Thy children.
Amen.
This prayer by Rabbi Dudley Weinberg, National Chaplain of AMVETS after World War II, was included in the anthology, The Prayer Book of the Armed Forces (ed. Daniel A. Poling, 1951), pp. 79-80. The prayer was chosen for publication by the then National Commander of AMVETS, Harold Russell.
Rabbi Dudley Weinberg (1915-1976) graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and was ordained by Hebrew Union College in 1941. He attended chaplain school at Harvard University and served in the Army for two years during WWII in New Guinea and the Philippines, receiving the Bronze Star and the rank of Major. Weinberg was instrumental in organizing one of the largest Passover Seders ever held in the Philippines shortly after the liberation of the country by United States armed forces. He was also involved in raising money for the rebuilding of the synagogue in Manila that had been demolished by the Japanese. Weinberg was senior rabbi at Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, Massachusetts from 1946 to 1955, before becoming senior rabbi of Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1955 until his death in 1976. In 1949, Weinberg was chosen to give the prayer for the dedication of the carillon at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. with President Harry Truman in attendance. He served on the Executive Board of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, was a trustee of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and was chairman of the CCAR-UAHC Joint Commission on Worship and chairman of the UAHC, HUC-JIR, and CCAR Platform Committee. Weinberg formed the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis, was lecturer in Judaic Studies at Marquette University in Milwaukee, and was chair of the Rabbinical Advisory Committee of the United Jewish Appeal. He also worked for the rights of Soviet Jews as well as for equal housing and racial equality in Milwaukee. (Adapted from the Jewish Museum of Milwaukee)
American Veterans (AMVETS), established 10 December 1944, is a non-partisan, volunteer-led organization formed by World War II veterans of the United States military. It advocates for its members as well as for causes that its members deem helpful to the nation at large. The group holds a Federal charter under Title 36 of the United States Code. It is a 501(c)19 organization.
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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