Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arnold Mark Belzer on 20 April 1988

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=47558

Date: 2022-11-22

Last Updated: 2024-06-01

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

Tags: 100th Congress, 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Page of the United States House of Representatives, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. House of Representatives, תחינות teḥinot

Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 20 April 1988. . . .

Content:

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Arnold Mark Belzer, Temple Beth Rishon, Wyckoff, New Jersey
Date of Prayer: 20 April 1988
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Roe (D-NJ)

Rep. Roe: Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to welcome an outstanding religious leader from my Eighth Congressional District of New Jersey, Rabbi Arnold Mark Belzer of Franklin Lakes, who has offered us a most inspirational message in providing the opening prayer to our session today. Rabbi Belzer is with Temple Beth Rishon of Wyckoff, New Jersey, which is also known as the Wyckoff-Franklin Lakes Synagogue. Temple Beth Rishon has served as the spiritual home for a great many worshipers from the greater northwest Bergen County, New Jersey, area for the past 13 years. I might note that when Rabbi Belzer assumed the leadership of Temple Beth Rishon in 1981, the congregation numbered 125 families. Today, through his dynamic and visionary leadership, that number has risen to 360 families and this fine congregation is still growing. And, in addition to his congregational duties, Rabbi Belzer also serves as east coast director of the Sino-Judaic Institute and as vice president of the Mastery Foundation, an ecumenical organization which trains clergy of all denominations. Mr. Speaker, along with coming to Washington to offer our opening prayer here this morning. Rabbi Belzer has one other important mission here, to visit his son, Nathan Belzer. Nathan, who I am proud to say is my page here in Congress, has not only been elected president of his page class while maintaining a perfect 4.0 average in his studies, but also has been selected as the Speaker’s page, accomplishments of which I know his father and mother are justifiably proud. I want to invite you, Mr. Speaker, and all of our colleagues to join me in welcoming Rabbi Arnold Mark Belzer to the House this afternoon.

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Lord God, Creator of all humanity, Cause love, harmony, and peace to abide among us. Cause us to know that in a world faced with monumental challenges that there can be no neutrality— “either we are the ministers of the sacred or the slaves of evil.”[1] Source of quotation unknown.
	Lord, during recent generations great evil has been revealed to us. Let us through our lives, be witness to the revelation of goodness.
	Lord, we know that we will triumph over evil if we shall be as sacrificial, courageous, and steadfast “in our homes, our schools, and offices, and in our Congress, as our soldiers have been on the fields of battle.”[2] Source of quotation unknown.
	Give us strength in moments of temptation. Renew our faith, at times of doubt. Give us courage, in moments of weariness. Hallow our lives with loyalty and integrity.
	May our prayers be with us as we face the world and may Your presence in our hearts be reflected in the way we live our lives.
	Dear God, bless the Members of the House of Representatives their staff people and the pages who serve them.
	Amen.

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Source(s)

100th Congress, 2nd Session. C-SPAN.
Congressional Record, Vol. 134, Part 6 — Bound Edition, p. 7665.

Congressional Record v. 134, part 6 – 20 April 1988, p. 7665

 

Notes[+]

Notes

1	Source of quotation unknown.
2	Source of quotation unknown.

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: Arnold Mark Belzer
  Bio: Rabbi Arnold Mark Belzer is the Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, Georgia. He studied at Hunter College and Iona College, where he received his BA in History. He was ordained rabbi and received BHL, MAHL, and DD degrees from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. A co-founder and now president of the Sino-Judaic Institute, he has traveled extensively in China. In 1985 he conducted the first Jewish worship service in Kaifeng, China, since the 1860s. Rabbi Belzer has lectured widely on the subject of Jews in China as well as studies of other exotic Jewish communities and comparative religion. He is a co-founder of the Mastery Foundation (an international, interfaith organization promoting transformation and reconciliation). Committed to interfaith cooperation and understanding, Rabbi Belzer is an ardent student of comparative religion and religious syncretism. He lectures regularly on a variety of subjects at the Savannah Learning Center and synagogues and churches around the United States.
  Website:
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/arnold-mark-belzer

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