Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Seymour L. Essrog on 20 April 1982

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=55518

Date: 2024-04-20

Last Updated: 2024-06-01

Categories: Yom haShoah (27 Nisan), Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies, Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, United States of America

Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 97th Congress, English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, prayers of military chaplains, U.S. House of Representatives, תחינות teḥinot

Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 20 April 1982. . . .

Content:

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Seymour L. Essrog, Beth Israel Synagogue, Randallstown, Maryland
Sponsor: Rep. Clarence Long (D-MD)
Date of Prayer: 20 April 1982

Mr. LONG of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, we are grateful to Rabbi Seymour Essrog of the Beth Israel Synagogue of Baltimore County, Maryland, for his inspirational offering.

Rabbi Essrog has served his Randallstown congregation for 21 years. In addition, he is a lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army Reserves where he serves as chaplain.

He received his bachelors degree, his masters degree in Hebrew literature, and his rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva University, New York. He also earned a masters degree in liberal arts from Johns Hopkins University.

Rabbi Essrog is president of the Baltimore Jewish Community Relations Council, and is past president of both the Baltimore Zionist District and the Baltimore Board of Rabbis.

Rabbi Essrog, the Members of the U.S. Congress join me in thanking you for being with us today.

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Our God, You who are the Guide of all humanity and nations, renew the American tradition of sacrifice and service upon our great Nation and its citizens. Heighten our sense of responsibility that together we may remove the seeds of evil.
	On this special day of Yom haShoah— when Jews all over the world collectively commemorate the death of the 6 million at the hands of the Nazis— we pray that the day will soon come when there shall be no violence or desolation on Earth when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation.” (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3.)
	Kindle in us a passion for righteousness and truth.
	Deepen our love for our beloved country, our desire to serve it, our resolve to uphold its good name by our own right conduct. Amen.

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This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fourth month of the second session of the 97th US Congress in the House of Representatives, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 128, part 6 (20 April 1982), page 7120.

Source(s)

Congressional Record, vol. 128, part 6 (20 April 1982), p. 7120

 

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: Seymour L. Essrog
  Bio: Rabbi Seymour L. Essrog (1934-2002), born in Brooklyn, New York, was a prominent Conservative movement rabbi in the United States. He attended Yeshiva Torah VaDaath and earned his bachelors and masters degrees from Yeshiva University, in New York. After his 1959 ordination, Rabbi Essrog joined the Army for two years’ active duty as a chaplain and 28 years in the reserves, ultimately retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Beginning in 1961, he served at pulpits in and around Baltimore: Beth Israel Mikro Kodesh in Randallstown, B’nai Israel in East Baltimore, Beth Shalom in Taylorsville, and Adat Chaim in Reisterstown. He also served a chaplain to the Baltimore City and County police and fire departments and headed the Baltimore Jewish Relations Council. He received a masters degree liberal arts from Johns Hopkins University. Rabbi Essrog served as president of the Rabbinical Assembly, representing the organization at the White House in the 1990s.
  Website:
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/seymour-essrog
• 
  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

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