PREFACE

In April, 1917, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, the Council of Young Men’s Hebrew and Kindred Associations, the Jewish Publication Society of America, the Agudath ha-Rabbonim, and the United Synagogue of America joined in forming a Board to minister to the religious welfare of Jews in the Army and Navy of the United States. The Jewish Publication Society of America offered to publish an abridged Prayer Book for these men if an agreement as to the text could be reached. A committee of three was formed, consisting of Dr. Cyrus Adler, representing the United Synagogue of America, Dr. William Rosenau, representing the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and Dr. Bernard Drachman, representing the Union of Orthodox Congregations. The present volume has been prepared under their direction.

The Hebrew text and English translation of Singer’s Prayer Book have been followed, except that all extracts from the Bible have been made to conform to the new translation issued by the Jewish Publication Society of America. Passages omitted in the Union Prayer Book issued by the Central Conference of American Rabbis have been indicated by a star. In cases where part of a paragraph is omitted, a star is also placed at the end of that part.

The festival services are adopted from the “Prayer Book for Jewish Sailors and Soldiers” prepared for the British Navy and Army.

This volume, which, it is hoped, may prove of strength and comfort to our young men offering their lives in the noble cause for which America has entered the war, is not intended in any way to supersede existing books of prayer, and is designed solely for the emergency for which it is being published.

Philadelphia
August, 1917
Elul, 5677

Two are better than one,
because they have a good reward
for their labor. (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

Will two walk together
except they have agreed? (Amos 3:3)

Strengthen ye the weak hands,
and make firm the tottering knees. (Isaiah 35:3)

The envy also of Ephraim shall depart;
and they that harass Judah shall be cut off.
Ephraim shall not vex Judah,
and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. (Isaiah 11:13)

Provide thyself with a teacher
and acquire a comrade,
and weigh all men in the scale of merit. (Mishnah Avot 1.6)

This teaches man
his proper relationship
to his fellowmen.
It is impossible for man to stand alone.
He must be near to his fellow-men.
One should never say:
‘What have I to do with so-and-so;
he is not worthy of being my friend;
he has sinned; he is wicked.’
Nay, man should strive
to bring others near unto himself
and not repel them.
‘Weigh all men in the scale of merit.’
This means that there should be no discord
between thee and thy comrade
whenever thou dost imagine
that he has done something against you.
(Derekh Chayyim 1.6.2, ad loc)

Cooperation and concord
are the basis of the social order.
We live together
and are dependent upon one another.
Each must give generously to the rest
and receive kindness in turn.
‘Two are better than one.’
Should two contend,
both will suffer.
Social well-being never comes from conflict,
but from cooperation.
Working apart is wasteful,
working against each other is worse.
Social competitions,
social antagonisms,
social conflicts
mean social upheaval and havoc.

But it is not due merely to worldly wisdom
that Judaism asserts:
‘Let, there be no strife between us,’
but because of the larger principle:
‘We are brothers.’
In God, all men unite;
for He is the universal Father.
Just as, when we approach God,
strife and bitterness cease
and we come closer to our brethren,
so too when we seek to understand
the heart of our brethren,
narrowness and selfishness vanish,
and we may come nearer to God.

Our generosity to our fellowmen
and their forbearance toward us,
teach us the meaning of God’s loving kindness.
Our efforts to bring about unity among men
clarify our vision
and give fuller meaning to our words
when we proclaim: ‘The Lord our God is One’ (Deuteronomy 6:4)
As faith in God leads men to peace,
so peace and concord lead men to God.

Lord, Thou art our Father,
and we are Thy children.
In Thy sight
all man-made distinctions vanish,
the wise and the simple,
the successful and the unfortunate
all partake of Thy paternal beneficence.
The abundance of Thy lovingkindness
shames our selfishness,
and the endlessness of Thy mercy
rebukes our grudges and hatred.
Our fraternal strife
is a denial of Thy Fatherhood.

Teach us, O Father,
to live in concord with our fellow-men,
and thus to prove that we, Thy children,
are united in Thee.
Thou dost bid us labor in Thy name;
teach us to labor in Thy spirit,
in patience and in justice.
Since Thou hast told us
that we are brethren,
teach us also how good it is
to dwell together in unity.
The task which Thou hast set us,
to rebuild the world according to Thy plan,
is too great for each of us alone,
but unite Thou our efforts and we can achieve it.

The wind and the rain,
the sun and the stars
work together harmoniously
fulfilling Thy changeless law.
O grant unto Thy mortal servants
a measure of Thy patience and forbearance,
that all of us,
parents and children,
toilers and planners,
races and nations,
blend the voices of our hearts
to praise Thy name together;
so that, when we silence the shoutings of discord
and quiet the murmurings of envy,
Thy still voice may be heard speaking
through the voice of humanity.
Amen.

PREFACE

May this prayer book, small enough in size to be carried in a pocket over the heart, bear the spiritual message of Israel’s ancient prayers to the heart of the American Jewish soldiers and sailors serving their country. The prayers here gathered together speak of the eternal aspirations of the Jewish people, and, indeed, of all mankind. They lift the soul above the immediate cares and interests of the daily round to the sphere of tenderness, purity and faith that is divine. They link those far from home with some of the most beautiful and uplifting associations of family life. They quicken loyalty to loved ones and to all one’s fellow men. They strengthen against temptation and give courage to spurn evil and hold fast to faith in the ultimate triumph of the good. In furthering this high purpose, this little volume of devotion serves not only the men who use it, but also the highest ideal of America.

This abridged prayer book is necessarily incomplete, especially in the services for the festivals, and for the New Year and the Day of Atonement. Including only the essence of the principal Jewish services of prayer, it is designed to be used where the exigencies of life in the army or the navy do not permit attendance at regular synagogue services with their incomparable richness of spiritual inspiration.

May this manual of prayer, which from the hallowed ideals of the past draws religious inspiration for the present, help towards achieving a future of peace and human brotherhood under the Father of all mankind.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Jewish Welfare Board makes grateful acknowledgment to the Jewish Publication Society for permission to use its text of most of the Biblical passages, and to the Central Conference of American Rabbis for the Friday evening service from the Union Prayer Book, as well as for the hymns and prayers taken, as indicated in the text, from the Union Hymnal and from “Blessing and Praise”. It has also drawn on prayer books edited by Simeon Singer, Hermann Adler, David de Sola Pool and others, and the Prayer Book for Jewish Soldiers and Sailors compiled for men in the British Army and Navy. Finally it records its debt to the original editors, Dr. Cyrus Adler, Dr. Bernard Drachman and Dr. William Rosenau, representing respectively conservative, orthodox, and reform Judaism, who in 1917 prepared the Abridged Prayer Book for Jewish men in the American forces serving in the World War, and to Dr. Solomon B. Freehof, Rabbi Eugene Kohn and Dr. David de Sola Pool, who have prepared this revised edition.

FOREWORD

The Committee on Army and Navy Religious Activities of the Jewish Welfare Board wishes to express its thanks to Chaplain Aryeh Lev of the Office of the Chief of Chaplains, Washington, D. C., who has prepared this pamphlet. It has been compiled tentatively as an aid to chaplains, civilian rabbis, and Jewish Welfare Board field rep- resentatives who may be called on to minister religiously to the sick, dying, and dead in our armed forces. It contains the following sections: Prayers for the Sick, a Military Funeral Service, and a Memorial Service for Those Fallen in Battle. The form of burial service follows military regulations. The Committee would appreciate receiving suggestions as to how to enhance the usefulness of this manual.

The liturgy and prayers have been culled from various sources—Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Permission has been received to reprint prayers from the following books: Sabbath and Festival Services by Morris Silverman, Prayer Book Press, Hartford, Connecticut; Union Prayer Book and Rabbis’ Manual, Central Conference of American Rabbis. Blank pages have been added for additional selections. The Jewish Welfare Board’s “Abridged Prayer Book” and “Selections from the Holy Scriptures,” are also available at army posts and aboard ship.

David de‎ Sola Pool, Chairman
Committee on Army and Navy Religious Activities

PREFACE

This prayer book has been prepared by the Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy of the National Jewish Welfare Board for use at religious services of Jewish personnel in the Armed Forces and in federal hospitals of the United States of America. It is not intended for general use by the civilian population. Its shortened and compact form has been designed for the specific purpose of use by military congregations. Jewish service personnel who desire to possess and employ a more complete prayer book for their personal devotions are encouraged to do so.

It is hoped that this prayer book will not only be a source of inspiration to the Jewish personnel in the Armed Forces and a link in the chain of faith that binds them to their homes and their families while they are in the military service, but that it will also be a means of strengthening their loyalty to their religious tradition both during and after their years in the Armed Forces.

Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy
National Jewish Welfare Board

Lag b’Omer 5718.
8 May 1958.

INTRODUCTION

Prayer is the language of our communication with God. In sensitive poetry and exalted prose, we convey Our praise and gratitude to the Almighty for His bountiful blessings. Through prayer we also open our hearts, confess our sins, and give voice to our innermost needs and aspirations. The structure of the classic Jewish prayer book and its inspiration derive from the Bible, especially from the Psalms, and from rabbinic creativity throughout the ages.

This new edition of the Prayer Book for Jewish Personnel in the Armed Forces of the United States has been prepared by the Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy of JWB, at the suggestion of the Religious Education Advisory Group-—Jewish, of the Armed Forces Chaplain Board. It is intended exclusively for use by Jewish personnel in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and in veterans hospitals.

While the hallowed traditional text of the Hebrew prayers in this volume has been retained, the new English version is not meant to be a literal translation but rather a more modern, free rendition designed to reflect contemporary idiom and language.

It is our fervent hope that this prayer book will inspire the men and women of our faith while in the service of our country and that it will strengthen their bonds to their homes and families and deepen their commitment to God, to Torah, and to our people everywhere.

Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy, JWB
Rosh Hodesh Nisan, 5744 April, 1984

PREFACE

The Prayer Book for Jewish Personnel in the Armed Forces of the United States was last issued in 1958. Since then, the major American Jewish religious movements have published new prayer books which include interpretive readings and innovative suggestions, in addition to the regular order of worship.

The Religious Education Advisory Group—Jewish, of the Armed Forces Chaplain Board, turned to the Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy of JWB to create a prayer book for Jewish personnel that would be in keeping with the needs of a new generation of Americans. The Commission formed an editorial committee which has produced a book of common worship, readings, study, and inspiration for use by Jewish personnel in the Armed Forces of the United States, and in veterans hospitals.

This prayer book is not intended for the general use of those in the civilian community. Its shortened and compact form is designed specifically for military congregations. Jewish service personnel are encouraged to use a more complete prayer book for their personal devotions and study.

We pray that this prayer book will be a source of inspiration to Jewish personnel and a bond to their faith, homes, and families while they are in the military service. May it also be a means of strengthening loyalty to Jewish tradition, both during and after service in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Religious Education Advisory Group—Jewish of the Armed Forces Chaplain Board of the Department of Defense
Rosh Hodesh Nisan, 5744 April, 1984

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

JWB wishes to thank the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Rabbinical Assembly, and the Rabbinical Council of America for the use and adaptation of their respective liturgical texts, The Gates of Prayer, Sim Shalom, and The Traditional Prayer Book for Sabbaths and Festivals. It also thanks the Jewish Publication Society of America for the use of its biblical translations.

JWB acknowledges the editorial work of Rabbi Gilbert Klaperman, Rabbi Leonard S. Kravitz, and Rabbi Max J. Routtenberg in preparing the manuscript for the Prayer Book for Jewish Personnel in the Armed Forces of the United States.