Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Eli B. Greenwald on 19 February 1962
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=54322
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Date: 2024-02-19
Last Updated: 2025-02-02
Categories: 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 87th 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 19 February 1962. . . .
Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Eli B. Greenwald, Congregation Mispallelim, Chester, Pennsylvania
Date of Prayer: 19 February 1962
Sponsor: n/a
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Our God and God of our fathers,
grant enduring peace
to a troubled world
which yearns for peace
in this era of insecurity
and conflict.
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Bless with good health
and keen judgment
the Members of this House of Representatives.
Make them aware of the needs of all the people,
so that the legislation they consider today
will reflect the lofty American ideals
of democracy,
equality,
and human compassion.
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Grant our Nation
the will to make sacrifices
for the common good.
Cause the peoples of the world
to flock to our banner of freedom;
let us all—
as children of the Almighty—
join together for the benefit of all mankind.
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O God,
look upon us with mercy,
and cause us always to do Thy will.
Amen.
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This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the second month of the second session of the 87th US Congress in the House of Representatives. The source images of the prayer were copied by Howard Mortman and shared via his @CongressRabbi Twitter account. All credit to Howard Mortman for his research in digging up this prayer. Unfortunately, neither the source images nor his tweets provide an exact citation reference to the volume, issue, and page number of the Congressional Record in which the prayer was published. If you know, leave a comment, or contact us.
Source(s)
Prayer of the Guest Chaplain (Eli Greenwald, 19 February 1962)
Contributor: Eli B. Greenwald
Co-authors:
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Name: Eli B. Greenwald
Bio: Rabbi Dr. Eli Greenwald (d. 2016) was Rabbi Emeritus of Ohel David & Shlomo in Manhattan Beach (Brooklyn, New York). At a young age, when, living in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, he was one of the founders of the youth minyan at the local Young Israel. He received his semicha from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and a doctorate in Jewish history and education from Philadelphia’s Dropsie University. He served as a pulpit rabbi in Quebec and Chester, Pennsylvania, before joining Ohel David & Shlomo in 1962, Rabbi Greenwald also served in a number of other roles: as principal of Ezra Academy Junior High School Yeshiva in Brooklyn, as dean of Yeshiva of Manhattan Beach, as both the first vice chairman and a long term member of New York City's Community Board 15, as vice President of the Rabbinical Board of Flatbush, as a member of the Sephardic Rabbinical Council as well as the Jewish chaplain at Jefferson Medical College Hospital in Philadelphia, Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, and Greater New York Council Boy Scout Summer Camps.
Website: https://www.ohelds.com/rabbi-eli-greenwald.html
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/eli-greenwald
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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
Featured Image:
Title: Flag_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives.svg
Caption: Flag of the United States House of Representatives
