The publication is reproduced in full below:
JEWISH PRAYERS ON CAPITOL HILL
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HON. A. DONALD McEACHIN
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Thursday, October 21, 2021
Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record a statement from Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman, founder and spiritual leader of Temple Lev Tikvah in Virginia Beach, and the representative of the Jewish Community at the City of Chesapeake's civic occasions.
Jewish Prayers on Capital Hill
(By Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman)
Howard Mortman, the author of an invaluable and unique publication entitled, ``When Rabbis Bless Congress--The Great American Story of Jewish Prayers on Capitol Hill'' is C-SPAN's communications director covering the U.S. Congress, and a graduate of the University of Maryland. His family belongs to Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia. In his publication, Mortman concludes in a tongue in cheek style. ``So, want to hear rabbis cite Moses and Scripture and Torah and Talmud and Mishnah to legislators and the public? Don't turn to Jerusalem--the Knesset does not open with prayer (although, arguably, who in the Knesset isn't a rabbi?). Instead tune into Washington, where Israel's chief rabbis can and have served as guest chaplains in Congress, just like hundreds of others.''
While both the House and the Senate of the U.S. Congress have full-time clergy chaplains. there is a long-standing tradition of guest chaplains for a day which amounts to offering a brief prayer at the opening session of each chamber. Instructions are provided by both chaplains' offices for the Invocation's length, and content is submitted ahead of time. C-Span provides live coverage, and the prayer is printed in the Congressional Record--which began operating in 1873--on the day of delivery. The guest chaplain is ordinarily recommended by the clergyperson's Representative and Senator, and it is truly a memorable experience to be invited for such an honor. A certificate and photo op are included.
I have had the privilege to offer the Invocation, so far twice in each chamber, vividly recalling the accompanied solemnity with the opportunity to engage with present members of the august bodies. Most members are usually not present in person, instead watching from the screens in their offices the offered prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the session's agenda. unless there is a vote to take place on the floor. I watched from home on TV the deadly attack on Congress on January 6, 2021, with the defiled desecration of both chambers and the rest of that magnificent and historic citadel of democracy known the world over. To witness it, though from a distance, was painfully shocking and beyond unfathomable, with alarming ramifications for American democracy and the Jewish community.
As the book's title reflects, there is much expressed pride in Jewish clergy representing a minority participating as co-equal with other religious figures in a tradition some regard as violation of constitutional church and state separation, though upheld by the Supreme Court in 1983. The book's impressive treasure trove collection of myriad fascinating and intriguing items with sprinkled humor is grouped into two parts, including nine sections. Part One: Who They Are is made up of Section 1: Setting the Scene: A Congress at Pray. Section II: Who Are These Rabbis? Section III: Media Portrayal. Part Two: What They Say. Section IV: Religious Awareness. Section V: Policy and Politics. Section VI: War, Evil, Terror. Section VII: Congress Institutions. Section VIII: America the Exceptional! Section IX: Diversity: Including the Christians. Given the close proximity of the Washington Hebrew Congregation, the oldest synagogue in the capital since 1852 and chartered in 1856 by a Congressional act, it holds the record of guest chaplains. The first rabbi to offer a prayer in Congress did so on February I, 1860. This was an important moment for the American Jewish community; historian Rabbi Dr. Bertram Korn is quoted, ``In more than a theoretical sense, therefore this was the initial recognition by the House of Representatives of the equal standing of Judaism, with Christianity, as' an American faith.'' Of note, on that historic date the House elected its first Republican Speaker, New Jersey's William Pennington, which was acknowledged in the prayer. The U.S. President then was James Buchanan.
Rabbi Edward Calisch of Congregation Beth Ahavah in Richmond, Virginia, was the first American--born rabbi to offer a prayer in the House on April 6, 1892. The iconic Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise was the first rabbi to offer a prayer in the Senate on May 21, 1870. His biennial birth was recognized with a special resolution in the Senate on April 4, 2019. Rabbi Sally Priesand of New York's Steven Wise Free Synagogue was the first woman and first female rabbi to invoke in the House on October 23, 1973. Her sponsor was the Congresswoman Bella Abzug. In the Senate, the first woman was Rev. Wilmina Roland Smith, a presbyterian minister, on July 8, 1971. The first woman rabbi blessing the Senate was Rabbi Dena Feingold on April 20, 1994, sponsored by her brother, Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin.
Though the Jews only make up 2.2 percent of the American populace, 35 rabbis out of 527 House guest chaplains participated from September 2006 to September 2016. As of February 2020, 441 rabbis delivered prayers, with an average rate of 7.5 percent since WWII, and 11 percent respectively in 2018 and 2019. In Spring 2018, the number of rabbinic invocations was 613, which is symbolically significant, Mortman points out given the traditional number of Mitzvot. Conservative Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, a former Navy chaplain and line officer during the Vietnam War, holds the record with 16 offered prayers. The C-SPAN Video Library allows access to House prayers since 1979, and to Senate prayers beginning in 1986.
The book's invaluable Index of Names highlights 347 rabbis offering Congressional prayers. Rabbi Dr. Gary P. Zola, Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives and Professor of the American Jewish Experience at the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati campus, offered one prayer in each chamber. He is among those at the volume's end who glowingly and justifiability endorse the book, writing ``Howard Mortman's extensively researched volume is jam-packed with astonishing facts and enthralling stories. His book is likely to become the final word on this subject. Once you begin to read Mortman 's captivating story of Jewish prayers on Capitol Hill, you will not want to put it down.''
Rabbi Dr. Israel Zobennan is the founder and spiritual leader of Temple Lev Tikvah in Virginia Beach. He is honorary senior rabbi scholar at Eastern Shore Chapel Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach. He represents the Jewish community at civic events in the City of Chesapeake.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 185
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