[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 185 (Thursday, October 21, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1124-E1125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     JEWISH PRAYERS ON CAPITOL HILL

                                 ______
                                 

                        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

[[Page E1125]]

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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