Inauguration Day Prayer for President Harry S. Truman, by Rabbi Samuel Thurman (1949)

Contributor(s):

Samuel Thurman and the Congressional Record of the United States of America

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21 January 2015 under the Public Domain (17 U.S. Code §105 - Subject matter of copyright: United States Government works)

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Inauguration Day (January 20th), Coronations & Inaugurations

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democratic process, 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, 20th century C.E., United States

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Lord God of all the nations: The hearts and minds of this Nation turn to Thee in this solemn moment in prayer and in gratitude. This Nation, blessed by Thee and dedicated to the holiest conception of Thee as the Father of all mankind is now being reconsecrated and rededicated in the person of its first citizen, the President of these United States of America. A son of the people, champion of social justice and civic righteousness, he is about to take the oath of his high office.
	We pray Thy blessing upon him and his dear ones. Chosen by the people to be their Chief Magistrate, may the people’s confidence in him never wane. May he continue to hold the high convictions of righteousness and Justice, of truth and peace, which have won for him the people’s faith and admiration. Touch him with Thy divine wisdom that he may, with humility, yet also with strength and courage, pursue the high purposes and noble ideals which have moved him to seek and to win the leadership of this Nation. May Thy hand lead and guide him through the many and tortuous paths through which this Nation and all the nations of the world must pass in the years ahead. Keep his heart steadfast and his mind single in the performance of the tasks and duties of his great office, and may this Nation, under his leadership, hold fast to its traditional ideals of freedom and justice for all men.
	Thus, blessed by Thee and devoted to the holy purposes of Thy will, our Nation shall go forward with unabated strength and unceasing labor in the service of Thee and of humanity, spreading light and liberty to those peoples that walk in darkness and dwell in servitude. By Thy bounty we have become rich and mighty among the nations of the world. O Lord, make us more worthy of all Thy blessings, to the end that both leader and people may continue to find favor in Thine eyes, and so live and serve that Thy glory. Thy majesty, and Thy power may abide with us forever. Amen.

This prayer by Rabbi Samuel Thurman, of the United Hebrew Temple (St. Louis, Missouri), was recorded in the United States’ Congressional Record for January 20, 1949.

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. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“Inauguration Day Prayer for President Harry S. Truman, by Rabbi Samuel Thurman (1949)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

Samuel Thurman

Born in Russia, Rabbi Samuel Thurman came to America as a child and grew up in Boston. There he attended Boston Latin Grammar School and then Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude. From there he enrolled in Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati to prepare for the rabbinate. After serving in Lexington, Kentucky (ca.1908), Kalamazoo, Michigan (ca.1908-1912, and Trenton, New Jersey (ca.1912-1914, he came to United Hebrew in St. Louis, Missouri in 1914, where he served the congregation until he died in 1963 at the age of eighty. An exceptionally dynamic orator, he spoke frequently before other congregations, including many Christian churches. Thurman was instrumental in bringing together rabbis of fellow Jewish congregations through his role in the creation of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association. A Thirty-Third Degree Mason, he was a longtime fiend of Harry S. Truman. Thurman was singularly honored when he was invited to deliver the invocation at President Truman's inauguration in January 1949, the first rabbi in American history to participate in a presidential inauguration.

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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Works of related interest:

President Johnson delivering his speech at the Inauguration held 20 January 1965.

Inauguration Day Prayer for President Lyndon B. Johnson, by Rabbi Hyman Judah Schachtel (1965)

Inauguration Day Prayer for President Dwight D. Eisenhower by Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver (1953)

Inauguration Day Prayer for President Dwight D. Eisenhower by Rabbi Dr. Louis Finkelstein (1957)

Inauguration Day Prayer for President Richard M. Nixon by Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin (1969)

Inauguration Day Prayer for President Richard M. Nixon, by Rabbi Seymour Siegel (1973)

Inauguration Day Prayer for President Ronald Reagan, by Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk (1985)

Inauguration Day Benediction for President John F. Kennedy by Rabbi Dr. Nelson Glueck (1961)

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1 comment to Inauguration Day Prayer for President Harry S. Truman, by Rabbi Samuel Thurman (1949)

May 17, 1948 – President Truman Writes About the “Very Dark” Situation in the Middle East | Legal Legacy
2023-05-17 at 12:02 am · Reply.
[…] On this day, Truman wrote a letter to Rabbi Samuel Thurman of the United Hebrew Congregation in St. Louis, Missouri. They had been members of the same Masonic Lodge, and were longtime friends. Notably, Truman invited Rabbi Thurman to deliver the invocation at his inauguration in January, 1949, the first rabbi in American history to participate in a presidential inauguration. (You can read his prayer here.) […]

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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