Veterans Day Prayer for Jewish War Veterans, by Rabbi Simeon Kobrinetz, Chaplain, USAF (Ret.)
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=54508
open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license date_src_start: 1997-00-00 date_src_end: 1997-00-00 languages_meta: [{"name":"English","code":"eng","standard":"ISO 639-3"}] scripts_meta: [{"name":"Latin","code":"Latn","standard":"ISO 15924"}] Date: 2024-02-26
Last Updated: 2025-04-25
Categories: 🇺🇸 Veterans Day (11 November), Military Personnel & Veterans
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., American Jewry of the United States, prayers of military chaplains
Excerpt: This prayer for Jewish War Veterans was offered by Rabbi Simeon Kobrinetz, Chaplain USAF (Ret.), on Veterans Day 1996 during the Veterans' Day Memorial Service presided by President Bill Clinton at Arlington National Cemetery. . . .
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Let us pray, dear Lord, Father of all humankind,
with joy in our hearts and reverence in our souls,
we rise to conclude this sacred ceremony.
As the flags whipping the breeze,
so do our thoughts reverberate with gratitude
for the courageous acts and self-sacrifice
of our fellow countrymen.
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Today, we recognize the 100th anniversary
of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States
and their contributions on the battlefields
to the cause of freedom and justice.
Through unity, dignity, and mutual respect,
we reaffirm our successful and valiant defense
of our country’s values.
May we never falter in our resolve
to have our nation always be
the land of the free
and the home of the brave.
In today’s program and the words of our president,
“had they not been there yesterday,
were they not with us today,
our world would indeed be far different.”
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And thus as we conclude,
we beseech thee Thy blessings
on our Commander-in-Chief
and the leaders of this great land.
May we together stand in unity
to build a foundation for that bridge
unto the 21st century
one nation, under God
with liberty and justice for all.
Amen.
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This prayer for Jewish War Veterans was offered by Rabbi Chaplain Simeon Kobrinetz on Veterans Day 1996 during the Veterans’ Day Memorial Service presided by President Bill Clinton at Arlington National Cemetery. Many thanks to Molly Frisinger for helping me with a difficult line in this transcription from the recording made available via C-SPAN.
Source(s)
Contributor: Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America
Co-authors:
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Name: Simeon Kobrinetz
Bio: Rabbi Chaplain Simeon Kobrinetz (1928-2011), born in Brooklyn, New York, was the first rabbi to attain general officer rank in the United States military. He graduated from Columbia University, studied at Yeshiva University, and earned a Ph.D. from the Jewish Technological Seminary. In 1970, after serving as Hillel Director at the University of Florida and the University of Miami, he served as national chaplain of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, including rising to president from 1976-1978. At the time of his death, He was also president of the Jewish War Veterans. Rabbi Kobrinetz led the campaign to establish Chaplain's Hill as a memorial to fallen Jewish chaplains.
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/simeon-kobrinetz
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Name: Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America
Bio: The Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America (also referred to as the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A., the Jewish War Veterans, or JWV) is an American Jewish veterans' organization created in 1896 by American Civil War veterans to raise awareness of contributions made by Jewish service members. (JWV holds a Congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code.) The organization has an estimated 15,000 members, ranging from World War Ⅱ to current conflicts and active duty personnel. It is the oldest active national veterans' service organization in America.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_War_Veterans_of_the_United_States_of_America
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/jewish-war-veterans-usa
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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: Jewish War Veterans prayer on Veterans Day Memorial Service at Arlington National Cemetery (Simeon Kobrinetz 1996)
Caption: Jewish War Veterans prayer on Veterans Day Memorial Service at Arlington National Cemetery (Simeon Kobrinetz 1996)