Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff on 10 September 2021

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=38981

Date: 2021-09-10

Last Updated: 2025-03-27

Categories: 🇺🇸 September 11th Day of Service & Remembrance, 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies

Tags: 117th Congress, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, September 11 attacks, U.S. House of Representatives, תחינות teḥinot

Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 10 September 2021. . . .

Content:

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, Chaplain, US Navy, Retired, Washington, DC
Date of Prayer: 09/10/2021

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Almighty God, Twenty years ago today, an era ended: Pre-9/11 world.
	Twin Towers stood. No deadly Pentagon attack. No civilian airline passengers, crew had sacrificed their lives To protect the Capitol from attack.
	Next day, our world forever changed.
	High Holy Days now challenge Jews world-wide: assess, atone, improve.
	But regardless of religion, Americans now share holy days, Blessed by memories of the righteous[1] ”זֵכֶר צַדִּיק לִבְרָכָה” (Proverbs 10:7) — the memory of the righteous is for a blessing.  Who kept faith alive.
	Terrorists did their worst. We responded with our best: Heroes sacrificed, rescued, healed, Then we united to rebuild, As we must unite today.
	Where the Pentagon was struck, We built a chapel – interfaith.[2] Cf. “An unsung hero of the 9/11 recovery: The Muslim engineer who rebuilt the Pentagon crash site as a chapel,” by Julie Zauamer Weil, Washington Post, 10 Sep 2019.  Our beliefs attacked, We celebrated unity, diversity, hope.
	Day’s end, Leaders gathered on Capitol steps, Democrat, Republican, side-by-side. Silent prayer, Then “God Bless America,” they sang.[3] Cf. “God Bless America” 9/11, C-SPAN.
	May unity then inspire us now, Heeding America’s Liberty Song: “Join hand in hand, brave Americans all, By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.”[4] From the Liberty Song, a pre-American Revolutionary War song with lyrics by John Dickinson, first published in 1768.
	And may we say “Amen.”

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Source(s)

117th Congress, 1st Session. C-SPAN. Congressional Record, Issue: Vol. 167, No. 156 — Daily Edition (September 10, 2021)

 

Notes

Notes

1	”זֵכֶר צַדִּיק לִבְרָכָה” (Proverbs 10:7) — the memory of the righteous is for a blessing.
2	Cf. “An unsung hero of the 9/11 recovery: The Muslim engineer who rebuilt the Pentagon crash site as a chapel,” by Julie Zauamer Weil, Washington Post, 10 Sep 2019.
3	Cf. “God Bless America” 9/11, C-SPAN.
4	From the Liberty Song, a pre-American Revolutionary War song with lyrics by John Dickinson, first published in 1768.

Contributor: the Congressional Record of the United States of America

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: the Congressional Record of the United States of America
  Bio: 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)
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Record
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/united-states-congressional-record
• 
  Name: Arnold E. Resnicoff
  Bio: 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.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Resnicoff
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/arnold-resnicoff

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Caption: Flag of the United States House of Representatives