Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Joshua Davidson on 16 June 2010

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Date: 2019-02-28

Last Updated: 2024-06-01

Categories: Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies, United States of America

Tags: 111th Congress, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., 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 16 June 2010. . . .

Content:

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Joshua Davidson, Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, Chappaqua, NY
Sponsor: Rep. John Hall, (D-NY)
Date of Prayer: 06/16/2010

Mr. HALL of New York. I am pleased to welcome Rabbi Joshua Davidson, Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth El in Northern Westchester, New York, as our guest chaplain in the House today. Rabbi Davidson is joined here today by his wife, Mia; their daughter, Mikaela; his aunt, Greer Goldman; and his in–laws, Carol and David Fram.

Rabbi Davidson is president of the Westchester Board of Rabbis. He has served Temple Beth El since 2002, and before that served at the Central Synagogue in New York City. He has a long, distinguished career, serving on the boards of many charitable organizations, interfaith coalitions, and prestigious Jewish organizations.

He served as the chair of the Central Conference of the American Rabbis’ Committee on Justice, Peace, and Religious Liberties, vice chair of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. He currently chairs the commission’s task force on Israel and World Affairs. Rabbi Davidson is a member of the Hebrew Union College President’s Rabbinic Council, and serves on the Clergy Advisory Board of Interfaith Impact of New York State.

House chaplains are a long, proud tradition in the House of Representatives, dating back to the time of our Founding Fathers, and Rabbi Davidson is a worthy entry into the long roll of distinguished guests.

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	O God, Source of the Spirit of Living Things: You created humanity with all its diversity in Your image and placed us upon this earth to tend it, guiding us along whichever spiritual path we call our own toward goodness and peace.
	In this great hall where dreams come true, we ask your blessing upon these men and women, these Representatives of the people. They have devoted their lives to our welfare. Strengthen them with Your courage. Inspire them as they answer Isaiah’s call to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, to lift up those in this land and in all lands who cannot stand on their own.
	In this chamber of debate, may every debate be for the sake of justice, and may justice always be tempered with compassion. May this House be home to the hopes and aspirations of every American, and may America shine as an example to all the world.
אָמֵן׃	Amen.

Source(s)

111th Congress, 2nd Session. Congressional Record, Issue: Vol. 156, No. 90 — Daily Edition (June 16, 2010)

Link: https://chaplain.house.gov/chaplaincy/display_gc.html?id=1449

Contributor: the Congressional Record of the United States of America

Co-authors:

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: Joshua Davidson
Bio: Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson is the senior rabbi of Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York. From 2002 through 2013 he served as senior rabbi of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester in Chappaqua, New York, and from 1997 to 2002 as assistant and associate rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City, advising that synagogue’s award-winning Social Action Committee. A graduate of Princeton University and ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Rabbi Davidson’s work has included anti-death penalty advocacy, gay/lesbian inclusion and interfaith dialogue. In 2009, he was honored for his interfaith efforts by the Westchester Jewish Council and the American Jewish Committee, on whose New York board he sits. Rabbi Davidson serves on the board of directors of the Kavod Tzedakah Collective, A Partnership of Faith in New York City. He also is a member of the Hebrew Union College Board of Governors, HUC President’s Rabbinic Council and the Clergy Advisory Board of Interfaith Impact of New York State. He is a past president of both the Westchester Board of Rabbis and the Chappaqua Interfaith Council. From 2001 to 2006, he served as chair of the Central Conference of American Rabbis’ Committee on Justice, Peace and Religious Liberties and vice-chair of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. He also has chaired the Commission’s task force on Israel and world affairs. He is a past board member of Rabbis for Human Rights-North America. Rabbi Davidson holds a Corkin Family Fellowship at the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Clal-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. His articles have appeared in The Jewish Week, Commentary Magazine, The New York Post and The Huffington Post; and he is a contributing writer in Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman’s Prayers of Awe series.
Website: https://www.emanuelnyc.org/2018/10/05/rabbi-joshua-m-davidson/
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/joshua-davidson

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