A Prayer at the Ceremony of Breaking Ground for the Ocean Parkway Jewish Center, by Rabbi Jacob Bosniak (1924)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=49915

Date: 2023-04-08

Last Updated: 2025-02-02

Categories: Homes & Community Centers

Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., Conservative Jewry, dedications and consecrations, synagogue consecration

Excerpt: "A Prayer at the Ceremony of Breaking Ground for the Building of a Synagogue" was written and delivered by Rabbi Jacob Bosniak on 19 October 1924, at the breaking of ground for the building of the Ocean Parkway Jewish Center. The prayer was first published in Rabbi Bosniak's לקוטי תפלות Liḳutei Tefilot: Pulpit and Public Prayers (1927), pp. 101-102. . . .

Content:

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	O Lord, our God and God of our fathers, we have assembled here for the glory of Thy name. We are about to break ground for the erection of a building dedicated to Thy service. We are mindful of the words of the Psalmist, “Except the Lord build the House, they labour in vain that build it.” (Psalms 127:1) We invoke Thy blessing, O God, upon the work of our hand.
	We fully realize the great responsibilities we have taken upon ourselves, when we started this work. Grant us Divine assistance, to complete this building for the sake of Thy Torah, for the sake of Thy name. Hundreds of our people, who want to worship with us, cannot be admitted because of lack of accommodations. Many of our children who come begging for instruction in Thy sacred religion, have to be turned away because of lack of space. We want to perpetuate our sacred religion, in this our country of freedom and liberty. We want to preserve and transmit our Torah to future generations.
	We thank Thee, O God, for all Thou hast given us. For the good men and women who have thus far responded to our appeals, and made possible the beginning of this sacred work. Bless the Officers of our Congregation and auxiliary organizations, the Chairmen of the various committees, and their co-workers, who have given of their means, of their time and energy, unstintedly, and have continually worked for this sacred cause. Strengthen their hearts and their hands, and enable them to continue this work even with greater zeal, and courage, until it shall have been completed.
	May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable unto Thee, my God, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

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“A Prayer at the Ceremony of Breaking Ground for the Building of a Synagogue” was written and delivered by Rabbi Jacob Bosniak on 19 October 1924, at the breaking of ground for the building of the Ocean Parkway Jewish Center. The prayer was first published in Rabbi Bosniak;s לקוטי תפלות Liḳutei Tefilot: Pulpit and Public Prayers (1927), pp. 101-102.

Source(s)

 

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Jacob Bosniak
  Bio: Yitsḥaḳ Yaakov (Jacob) Bosniak (also Bosnyak, 1887–1963) was an American Conservative rabbi. Bosniak was born in Russia, immigrated to the U.S. in 1903, and completed his rabbinical studies at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Yeshivah, an Orthodox seminary, in 1907. In 1917, he was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he earned a Doctor of Hebrew Letters in 1933. In 1921, after having served Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas, Texas, he became rabbi of the Ocean Parkway Jewish Center in Brooklyn, n.y., a congregation he was to serve for 28 years. He was president of the Brooklyn Board of Rabbis (1938–40), chairman of the *Rabbinical Assembly's Rabbinic Ethics Committee (1945–48) and a judge (dayyan) and member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Conciliation Board of America. Believing in the need for a uniform prayer book (siddur) with modern English translations, Bosniak published several prayer books that gained wide acceptance in Conservative synagogues. He edited Prayers of Israel (1925, 1937), Likutei Tefilot: Public and Pulpit Prayers (1927) and Anthology of Prayer (1958), prayer books that included English translations of Sabbath and Holiday prayers, English hymns, responsive readings, and instructions related to worship in English. In 1944, he published Interpreting Jewish Life: The Sermons and Addresses of Jacob Bosniak. Upon his retirement in 1949, Bosniak was elected rabbi emeritus and devoted his time to Jewish scholarship, publishing a critical edition of The Commentary of David Kimhi on the Fifth Book of Psalms (1954).
  Website: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bosniak-jacob
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/jacob-bosniak
• 
  Name: Aharon N. Varady (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-transcription

Featured Image:

Title: East Midwood Jewish Center building
Caption: East Midwood Jewish Center building (credit: David Shankbone, license: CC BY-SA)