Himes Welcomes Westport Rabbi to Give Opening Prayer Today in U.S. House
May 24 2011
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) today welcomed Westport Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn as the Guest Chaplain in the United States House of Representatives. The rabbi gave the opening prayer on the same day Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress.
You can watch a video of the prayer and the Congressman’s introduction of the rabbi here. The rabbi’s biography follows this release.
“It was an honor to host Rabbi Wiederhorn as the guest chaplain for the U.S. House on the day the Prime Minister of Israel addressed a joint session Congress,” Rep. Himes said. “His advice to ‘learn from those we might not otherwise hear’ provided timely guidance for our work on the nation’s most challenging issues, and I appreciated his insight into the Prime Minister’s speech.”
At ten o’clock this morning, Rabbi Wiederhorn delivered the following prayer. Later that morning, Rabbi Wiederhorn joined Rep. Himes on the House floor for PM Netanyahu’s speech.
Dear God, source of all strength, compassion and peace.
We know that our time on this earth is preciously short, so please, open our eyes to the beauty of the world around us.
Remind us that each person we encounter is created in your image. Provide us with the integrity, wisdom, and patience to listen to those with whom we do not agree and learn from those who we might otherwise not hear. Protect the courageous men and women who put their lives in danger each day so that our children can live safely and without fear. Comfort us today as we mourn with the people of Missouri following the tragic loss of life brought upon by the devastating forces of nature.
And, finally, bless our leaders and advisors, including the dedicated men and women of this United States Congress who seek to protect our sacred democratic values at home and abroad. May you grant them the vision to lock ahead to our future without forgetting the lessons of our past.
Amen.