Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Israel Goldstein on 21 April 1942

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=55526

Date: 2024-04-20

Last Updated: 2025-03-29

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

Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 77th Congress, English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. House of Representatives, World War Ⅱ, תחינות teḥinot

Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 21 April 1942. . . .

Content:

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Israel Goldstein, of the Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, of New York, and president of the Synagogue Council of America
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 21 April 1942

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Lord, who art our refuge in all generations and art near to all who call upon Thee in truth, we pray that the deliberations of the Representatives of the American people here assembled may be informed with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength, knowledge and fear of the Lord.
	Grant us understanding great enough to pierce the confusion which our foes are striving to bring into our midst by fomenting suspicion and ill will between group and group.
	Grant us strength equal to the burdens of battle.
	Grant us faith commensurate with the desperate need for a better world.
	We lift our hearts with thanksgiving that a people of diverse strands, we are indivisible in the bond of allegiance; that a people of several creeds, we are of one faith touching our destiny as sponsor and guarantor of the concepts of human freedom.
	May Thy protection be vouchsafed unto the Chief Executive of our Nation and unto all who with him are entrusted with the safeguarding of our rights and our liberties, our lives, our security, and our honor, our commonweal of body and spirit— be their places in the halls of government, on the fields and lanes of battle, in the farms, factories, and offices, or in the homes, schools, and churches.
	May victory crown our hopes, our labors, and our sacrifices and bring nearer the day when all men shall dwell in safety, everyone under his vine and under his fig tree, with none to make him afraid.[1] Cf. Micah 4:4  Amen.

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This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fourth month of the second session of the 77th US Congress in the House of Representatives, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 88, part 3 (21 April 1942), page 3568.

Source(s)

Congressional Record, vol. 88, part 3 (21 April 1942), p. 3568

 

Notes

Notes

1	Cf. Micah 4:4

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Israel Goldstein
  Bio: Israel Goldstein (June 18, 1896 – April 11, 1986) was an American-born Israeli rabbi, author and Zionist leader. He was one of the leading founders of Brandeis University.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Goldstein
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/israel-goldstein
• 
  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: 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

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