Opening prayer for the 12th U.A.W.–C.I.O. Labor Convention in Milwaukee, by Rabbi Joseph Baron (1949)
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=44921
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Date: 2022-06-09
Last Updated: 2022-06-09
Categories: Labor, Fulfillment, and Parnasah, International Workers' Day (May 1st), Labor Day (1st Monday of September)
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, labor
Excerpt: This prayer, initially delivered by Rabbi Joseph Baron as an invocation at the opening of the 12th U.A.W.-C.I.O. Labor Convention in Milwaukee, July 1949, was included in the anthology, The Prayer Book of the Armed Forces (ed. Daniel A. Poling, 1951), pp. 81-82. The prayer was selected for the anthology by Walter P. Reuther (1907-1970), a Lutheran, a leader of organized labor, and a civil rights activist who built the United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history. . . .
Content:
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Almighty God,
we stand before Thee,
united in heart,
invoking Thy name and Thy blessing.
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Help us, O Father,
to bear in mind constantly
how much we owe to the labors of our fellow men.
Day by day others toil that we may be satisfied;
they brave the terrors of the unknown
for the truth that sheds light on our way.
Numberless gifts have been laid in our cradles
as our birthright by men and women
in every corner of the globe.
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Help us then, O God,
to realize that labor is man’s very life,
that nothing comes into the world ready made,
and that, therefore,
none of us in the pride of possession
forget the true nature and source of wealth
or the responsibilities of power.
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Give us the strength
to pierce through the clouds of disagreement
that we may see our common interests
and soar above the distinctions of color, creed and culture:
that we may see our common destiny
to keep aglow the sacred memory of our common sacrifices,
that we may never lose sight of our common humanity.
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Help us, O God,
to be on our guard against
believing that the things which constitute the difficulties of our day
are in the order of nature,
beyond the control of man.
Give us the vision,
the courage,
and the strength
to struggle on toward
the eradication of greed, corruption, and superstition,
toward the implementation of health, security, and opportunity.
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Aid us in our individual and collective efforts
to rebuild this world
for a society more free,
more just,
and more splendid than ours,
for an order that will truly approximate
the hope of Thy Kingdom.
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Heavenly Father,
help us to live purposefully,
charitably,
and in consecration to the service of Thy children.
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Amen.
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This prayer, initially delivered by Rabbi Joseph Baron as an invocation at the opening of the 12th U.A.W.-C.I.O. Labor Convention in Milwaukee, July 1949, was included in the anthology, The Prayer Book of the Armed Forces (ed. Daniel A. Poling, 1951), pp. 81-82. The prayer was selected for the anthology by Walter P. Reuther (1907-1970), a Lutheran, a leader of organized labor, and a civil rights activist who built the United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history.
Source(s)
Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)
Co-authors:
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Name: Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)
Bio: 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 naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת 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.)
Website: https://aharon.varady.net
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-varady
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Name: Jospeh L. Baron
Bio: Joseph L. Baron (1894-1960) was born in Vilna. Immigrating to the U.S. in 1907, Baron studied rabbinics at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and the Hebrew Union College (HUC), where he was ordained in 1920. After serving as a congregational rabbi in Davenport, Iowa for six years, Rabbi Baron moved to Temple Emanu-El in Milwaukee in 1926. While there, Baron helped establish Reform congregations in many Wisconsin towns and taught at the Milwaukee State Teachers College. Rabbi Baron was a prolific scholar, publishing many volumes, including, In Quest of Integrity, Death in Jewish Folk Religion, and compiled A Treasury of Jewish Quotations. Among his many communal activities, Rabbi Baron served on the Board of Governors of HUC. Joseph L. Baron died in 1960.
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/joseph-baron
Featured Image:
Title: prayer for labor AFL-CIO (Joseph Baron 1949) – cropped
Caption: prayer for labor AFL-CIO (Joseph Baron 1949) - cropped
