Sponsor: Rep. William S. Broomfield (R-MI)
Date of Prayer: 27 March 1979
Mr. BROOMFIELD. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and a pleasure to welcome, as our guest this afternoon, Rabbi David A. Nelson of Congregation Beth Shalom, in Oak Park, Michigan. I would like to thank him for his inspiring opening prayer.
Before coming to Michigan, Rabbi Nelson held pulpits in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in our neighboring city of Baltimore, Maryland. In 1972, he took up his present position at Congregation Beth Shalom.
While providing spiritual leadership to the people of his congregation, Rabbi Nelson has also been an active community leader.
He has served as president of the Conservative Rabbis of Metropolitan Detroit; a member of the Anti-Defamation League Cabinet; and as a member of the Detroit Round Table of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He is also the director of the Michigan Region of the United Synagogues of America. Rabbi Nelson was also appointed by the city of Southfield, Michigan, to serve as a member of the Total Living Commission, and as an advisory board member to the Southfield City Council. He is also on the advisory board of the Oakland County Mental Health Associates and the Michigan Council on Alcohol Problems.
Rabbi Nelson is not the first member of his family to offer the opening prayer before this body. On May 23, 1963, the House of Representatives was honored to hear the profound words of his father, the late Rabbi Harry Nelson.
Mr. Speaker, Rabbi Nelson is accompanied by two of his three children this afternoon, Harry, age 11, and Debra, age 10.
I would like to welcome all three to Washington, and to again thank Rabbi David Nelson for his inspirational message.
| Contribute a translation | Source (English) |
|---|---|
|
|
O Lord our God,
how excellent is Thy name in all the Earth and without whom no human work can long prosper, we beseech Thee to bestow upon the Members of this body wisdom and courage equal to their responsibilities. |
|
|
We acknowledge with gratitude
the glorious achievements in working for the cause of peace in the Middle East. Help us now to widen the horizons of our hearts to encompass all mankind in a common love and mutual respect. |
|
|
Grant that our beloved country
be a mighty force for righteousness among people, ever seeking to provide more adequate forms of freedom and justice for all its citizens and ever advancing the cause of democracy and peace among all nations of the world. |
|
|
May the Lord endow us with strength;
may the Lord bless us all with peace. Amen. |
This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the second month of the second session of the 96th US Congress in the House of Representatives, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 125, part 5 (1979), page 6283.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol 125, part 5 (27 March 1979), p. 6283
