Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Joshua O. Haberman on 4 June 1985

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Date: 2022-11-22

Last Updated: 2024-06-01

Categories: Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies, United States of America

Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 99th Congress, English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. House of Representatives, תחינות teḥinot

Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 4 June 1985. . . .

Content:

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Joshua O. Haberman, Washington Hebrew Congregation, Washington, DC:
Date of Prayer: 4 June 1985
Sponsor: Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman (R-NY)

Rep Gilman: Mr. Speaker: I ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming Rabbi Joshua O. Haberman of Washington as our guest chaplain. Rabbi Haberman is a distinguished clergyman from the Washington region, where he served as senior rabbi of the Washington Hebrew Congregation for the past sixteen years. Rabbi Haberman was born in Austria, began his studies at the University of Vienna, but was forced to continue his education following the Nazi invasion in the United States at the University of Cincinnati and the Hebrew College in Cincinnati. Rabbi Haberman has served congregations in Mobile Alabama, in Buffalo, New York, and in Trenton, New Jersey. He was awarded an honorary degree and doctor of divinity by the Hebrew Union College, and has has received numerous other awards as well. In addition to his work as a professor, an author, a lecturer, he’s long been a leader in interfaith activities. On behalf of my colleagues, I’m honored to welcome Rabbi Haberman to our chamber today, to thank him for his eloquent prayer, and to reiterate my appreciation for officiating at my recent marriage to Rita Gail.

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Creator of all the world: Thou who hast turned dust into creatures of intelligence, how wondrous is Thy work, how mysterious Thy power which brings order out of chaos!
	Help us to create order in the affairs of man. Thou who hast set limits to the forces of nature to keep all things in marvelous balance, help us to cope with the forces of human nature.
	Help us distinguish clearly the line between right and wrong; between the interest of the few and the welfare of the many; between the instant gain of today and the larger, lasting good of future years.
	Lead us by Thy justice to enact just laws and by Thy mercy to lift up the fallen, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and bring healing to those who suffer.
	We thank Thee for all men and women who uphold the public trust with integrity and lead this Nation as faithful servants.
	May they keep America free, strong, and just. May the Lord grant strength unto His people. May the Lord bless His people with peace. Amen.

Source(s)

99th Congress, 1st Session. C-SPAN.
Congressional Record, Vol. 131, Part 10 — Bound Edition, p. 13964.

Congressional Record v. 131, part 10 – 4 June 1985, p. 13964

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

Co-authors:

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

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: Joshua Oscar Haberman
Bio: Joshua O. Haberman (1919–1917), was a Reform rabbi in the United States. Born in Vienna, his education was interrupted by the German invasion of Austria in 1938. Fleeing to the United States, he earned his B.A. from the University of Cincinnati (1940) and M.H.L. from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he was ordained in 1945. HUC-JIR awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity in 1970. His first pulpit was in Mobile, Alabama (1944–46), where he worked to bring the Reform and Conservative communities closer together as rabbi of Congregation Shaarei Shamayim (the Government Street Temple). While serving as rabbi of Temple Beth Zion in Buffalo, New York (1946–51), Haberman founded the Hillel Center at the University of Buffalo, acting as its first director (1946–47). In 1951, he became rabbi of Har Sinai Temple in Trenton, New Jersey, whose membership quadrupled under his leadership. Haberman chaired both the Trenton Board of Rabbis and the local Israel Bonds Drive; coauthored Encounter for Reconciliation: Guidelines for Inter-religious Dialogue, published jointly by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the United Presbyterian Church of America; and continued to foster mutual understanding within the Jewish community. He also lectured at Rutgers University and served on the Executive Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (1967–69). In 1969, Haberman was appointed rabbi of Washington Hebrew Congregation. He developed a dialogue with the Roman Catholic diocese of Washington DC, with evangelical Christian leaders, and with Imam Wallace D. Muhammad of the World Community of Islam in the West. He served as president of the Washington Board of Rabbis (1982–84), as well as on the Advisory Committee on Ethical Values of the United States Information Agency (1982–83) and on the boards of directors of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (1983–89) and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (1985). In 1984, in anticipation of retiring from the pulpit, he founded the Foundation for Jewish Studies, which sponsors cultural and educational programs for the entire Washington Jewish community as well as interested adherents of other faiths. In 1986, Haberman became rabbi emeritus of Washington Hebrew Congregation and assumed the active presidency of the FJS. On a national level, he was a member of the board of alumni overseers of the HUC-JIR and served as president of the National Association of Retired Reform Rabbis (1999–2000). In 2001, he was the representative of Jewish participation in the National Cathedral's memorial service marking 9/11. Haberman contributed articles to English and German publications and wrote three books, Philosopher of Revelation: The Life and Thought of S.L. Steinheim (1990); The God I Believe In: Conversations about Judaism with 14 Prominent Jewish Intellectuals (1994), and Healing Psalms: The Dialogues with God that Help You Cope with Life (2000). In addition, he taught at Georgetown University, Wesley Theological Seminary, and American University. He received the Brotherhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (1978) and the Elie Wiesel Holocaust Remembrance Award, conferred by the State of Israel Bonds (1992). (adapted from that offered in the Encyclopedia Judaica, 2nd ed.)
Website: https://www.habermaninstitute.org/rabbi-joshua-o-haberman
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/joshua-oscar-haberman

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