Prayer at the National Civic Commemoration of the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, by Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff on 28 April 1987

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9 December 2018 under the Public Domain (17 U.S. Code §105 - Subject matter of copyright: United States Government works)

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Yom haShoah (27 Nisan), Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, United States of America

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58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, the Holocaust, American Jewry of the United States, Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust (DRVH), 20th century C.E., השואה the Shoah

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	O Lord our God help us pray – as our ceremony ends, that our service might begin. And keep us from forgetting the difference.
	Keep us from feeling too good about what we say and do today, for words are not enough, and it is far too easy to recall gigantic evil done by others, yet miss the link to seeds of future horror in our own lives: in apathy, in the careless racial slur, in blindness to a neighbor’s wound, or deafness to his cry…
	And yet, let us take some pride – and hope – in what we do today, for sometimes, words can pave the way: songs and prayers can bear witness to the good within us still; can give dreams a voice – a call which might be, must be, heard, to give direction to our lives.
	So, from the Holocaust, we learn: when we deny humanity in others, we destroy humanity within ourselves. When we reject the human, and the holy, in any neighbor’s soul, then we unleash the beast, and the barbaric, in our own heart.
	And, since the Holocaust, we pray: if the time has not yet dawned when we can all proclaim our faith in God, then let us say at least that we admit we are not gods ourselves. If we cannot yet see the face of God in others, then let us see, at least, a face as human as our own.
	So long ago the Bible taught that life might be a blessing or a curse:^[1] Cf. Deuteronomy 11:26, Deuteronomy 30:19 the choice is in our hands. Today we vow: the curse will be remembered.
	But our prayer must also be: to fight despair; to find the strength, the courage, and the faith, to keep alive the dream that – through us and through our children – the blessing might still be.

This benediction was delivered by Chaplain Arnold E. Resnicoff, U.S. Navy, at the 1987 National Civic Commemoration of the Days of Remembrance, in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. It was first published in Days of remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust: a Department of Defense guide for commemorative observance (Office of the Secretary of Defence, 1988).

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Notes[+]

Notes
1	Cf. Deuteronomy 11:26, Deuteronomy 30:19

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“Prayer at the National Civic Commemoration of the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, by Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff on 28 April 1987” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

Arnold E. Resnicoff

Arnold E. Resnicoff (born 1946) is a Conservative rabbi who began his career serving as a military officer and then as a military chaplain. He served in Vietnam and Europe before attending rabbinical school after which he was a U.S. Navy Chaplain for almost 25 years. After the Vietnam War, he promoted the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and delivered the closing prayer at its 1982 dedication. Rabbi Resnicoff was present at the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and the following year, President Ronald Reagan shared Rabbi Resnicoff's eyewitness account. After retiring from the military he became the National Director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee and served as Special Assistant (for Values and Vision) to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, serving at the equivalent military rank of Brigadier General. Resnicoff holds several degrees, including an honorary doctorate. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, and the Chapel of Four Chaplains Hall of Heroes Gold Medallion.

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“National Civic Commemoration of Holocaust Days of Remembrance, Capitol Rotunda, with Navy Chaplain, Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, offering closing prayer.” (credit: U.S. Navy Photographer, license: PD)

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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