Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Gil Steinlauf on 27 January 2010

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=27103

Date: 2019-09-14

Last Updated: 2025-02-18

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

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 27 January 2010. . . .

Content:

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Gil Steinlauf, Adas Israel, Washington, DC
Sponsor: Rep. Henry Waxman, (D-CA)
Date of Prayer: 01/27/2010

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to welcome Rabbi Gil Steinlauf of Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, DC, as our guest chaplain today.

When I was first elected to Congress and our family moved to Washington, we joined Adas Israel Congregation in Cleveland Park in the Washington, DC, area. Adas Israel is the largest conservative synagogue in our Nation’s capital and one of its oldest. It also has a reputation for outreach to young families and Washington, DC, transplants. We have been members for more than 30 years.

Rabbi Steinlauf came to Adas Israel in August 2008 to serve as its senior rabbi. He quickly made his mark as a charismatic, energetic, and dynamic spiritual leader. It has been a great pleasure to get to know him and his family.

Originally from Jericho, New York, Rabbi Steinlauf was ordained in 1998 at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He graduated from Princeton in 1991 with honors, and also studied at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem and the University of Judaism, now known as the American Jewish University, which is located in my district in Los Angeles.

Rabbi Steinlauf is joined this morning by his wife, Rabbi Batya Steinlauf, and his children Elana, Noah, and Meirav, his parents Bernard and Sandra, some of his extended family, and a proud delegation of Adas Israel.

Thank you, Rabbi Steinlauf, for your inspirational words.

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
	Our God and God of all of our ancestors, we ask that the light of your Presence guide the hearts and minds of the leaders of this great nation gathered here today.
	May the wisdom of Your teachings guide them to act for justice, and to lift up the cause of the stranger, the orphan and the widow.
	Master of the Universe, open the hearts of our leaders with Your compassion.
	Help them to lead with integrity, always remembering that Your Wisdom resides in every heart as the deepest Truth of our humanity.
	May our leaders always remember that Your guidance is not in the Heavens alone, nor far beyond the sea, but within each of us – in our mouths and in our hearts to carry into action in the world.
	May our leaders therefore serve as beacons of justice and compassion, making this country a light to the nations.
אָמֵן׃	Amen.

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Source(s)

111th Congress, 2nd Session
Issue: Vol. 156, No. 11 — Daily Edition (January 27, 2010)

Link: https://chaplain.house.gov/chaplaincy/display_gc.html?id=1319

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: Gil Steinlauf
  Bio: Rabbi Gil Steinlauf serves as rabbi at Congregation Kol Shalom in Rockville, Maryland and formerly served as senior rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation, Washington, DC. He is the co-creator of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism’s “Innovation Labs” for synagogue renewal. He is the first senior rabbi of a large, historic, conservative congregation to come out as openly gay, and has sought to create an atmosphere of constructive dialogue on the issues facing modern culture and Judaism. Along with Adas clergy and staff, Rabbi Steinlauf co-founded three nationally recognized projects now operating out of Adas Israel: YP@AI for Jewish Young Professionals, MakomDC for 21st century experiential learning, and the Jewish Mindfulness Center of Washington for meditation, yoga, and contemplative Jewish practices. Rabbi Steinlauf had previously been the rabbi of Temple Israel in New Jersey, is a summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University, studied at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem, earned an MHL from the University of Judaism, and received rabbinic ordination and an MA at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Currently, Rabbi Steinlauf is on the boards of the Washington Chapter of the American Jewish Committee, A Wider Bridge, and ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal. He also sits on the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion Council, and on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee of JTS. He is an alumnus of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, a member of the Center for Jewish Learning and Leadership’s Rabbis Without Borders program, and is on the current GLEAN cohort of spiritual entrepreneurs.
  Website: https://www.gilsteinlauf.com
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/gil-steinlauf

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