The Washington-based rabbi who opened today’s pro forma House session became the first to decry American “anti-Semitism” in the traditional prayer as he urged the nation to keep its “eyes wide open” to terror attacks on Jews and Christians.
Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, giving his 16th prayer in the chamber, noted the Saturday attack on Jews praying at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York, near New York City, and Sunday in a Texas church.
“With this decade’s last House prayer, we give thanks for progress, look ahead with hope, but with eyes wide-open to prejudice, hatred, terror that remain — fueling violence like the anti-Semitic Hanukkah party attack Saturday, the Texas church attack Sunday,” said Resnicoff, a retired Navy chaplain.
According to C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman, who has researched House opening prayers, it was the first time anti-Semitism in America was mentioned. It was once used in a reference to Russia.
Resnicoff ended his prayer by quoting Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. “We shall overcome, we shall overcome, We shall overcome someday. Deep in my heart, I do believe. We shall overcome someday,” he said.
Opening prayers are a tradition in the House, and Resnicoff has given the most of any rabbi.
He told Secrets that the attacks in Rabbi Chaim Rottenburg’s shul and West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, near Fort Worth, weighed on him as he penned his prayer on Sunday.
“I have relatives — a niece and her family, plus an unmarried nephew — who live in Monsey, just blocks away from the home in which this attack occurred. Thankfully, they were not present when this attack occurred. But the goal of terrorism — and hate-crimes like this anti-Semitic attack are definitely forms of terrorism — is to instill fear in us all, and to make us all feel a bit less safe, a bit less free,” he said.
HOUSE PRAYER BY @ArnoldResnicoff
– record 16th prayer by a rabbi guest chaplain
– last prayer in Congress this decade
-menorah tie
-“terror that remain – fueling violence like the anti-semitic Hanukkah party attack Saturday, the TX church attack Sunday https://t.co/6QW4tFchPO pic.twitter.com/J1qZbibrjG— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) December 30, 2019
He was also in Lebanon during the 1983 attack on the Beirut Marine barracks. “My life has already been personally touched by terrorism. But every attack on our neighbor should be ‘personal’ for us, whether it’s a hate attack based on race, religion, sex, or any other part of us that makes us human,” he added.
On Monday, he added a special touch to his appearance. Resnicoff wore his Hanukkah tie. He told Secrets, “It is a reminder of the light of faith that will not be extinguished, and hope that will not be crushed.”
His prayer is below:
House Prayer, Dec 30, 2019
Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, U.S. Navy Chaplain (retired), Washington, D.C.
Almighty God, we pray, reflect, meditate in different ways,
but as a year, a decade ends, and 2020 begins,
may we reaffirm, united, the hope of Langston Hughes: “Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed.”
Dreamers dreamed
a nation founded on equality, rights;
a Constitution established for a more perfect union,
for liberty for us and our posterity.
Our votes, oaths, acts — must reflect those dreams.
With this decade’s last House prayer,
we give thanks for progress,
look ahead with hope,
but with eyes wide open
to prejudice, hatred, terror that remain
— fueling violence like the anti-Semitic
Hanukkah party attack Saturday,
the Texas church attack Sunday —
praying, Almighty God, for strength to dream
the bravest dream our dreamers dreamed, our people dreamed:
“We shall overcome, we shall overcome,
We shall overcome some day.
Deep in my heart, I do believe. We shall overcome some day.”
And let us say, Amen.
