The Office of the Chaplain United States House of Representatives

Rabbi Jacob J. Schachter

The Jewish Center
New York, NY

Sponsor: Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D-NY)
Date of Prayer: 04/13/2000

One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:

Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor this morning's guest chaplain, Rabbi Jacob J. Schachter of the Jewish Center in New York City whom I have known for almost 20 years.

Rabbi Schachter has been the spiritual leader of the Jewish Center since 1981. Under his leadership the Jewish Center has tripled in its membership. Rabbi Schachter has brought enthusiasm for Jewish life to the synagogue and to the local community throughout his tenure.

Rabbi Schachter received Rabbinic ordination from Mesvita Torah Vodaas and holds a Ph.D. in Near East languages from Harvard University. Among his many accomplishments, Rabbi Schachter is an accomplished author, having collaborated on ‘‘A Modern Heretic and a Traditional Community, Orthodoxy, and Americana Judaism'' and is the founding editor of the Torah u–Madda Journal. He is also the founding president of the Council of Orthodox Jewish Organizations of Manhattan, is a much sought after speaker on interdenominational dialogue under the auspices of the Jewish Community Center and the 92nd Street Y, and is a member of the Board of Governors of the New York Board of Rabbis.

Unfortunately, Rabbi Schachter will soon be leaving the Jewish Center to become the dean of the Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik Institute in Brookline, Massachusetts, where his daily insights, wisdom and leadership will be invaluable to the State of Massachusetts and to the Jewish community, especially in Massachusetts. I want to wish him well in his new endeavors and thank him for all that he has done for the Jewish Center, for the Jewish community, and for the entire community in New York over the last 20 years.

Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:

Almighty God, we express our deep gratitude to You for the gift that is the United States of America. Like millions of others in this exceptional land, all four of my grandparents came to these blessed shores from countries far away to create a better life for themselves and their families. Like millions of others, my father served in the armed forces of this wonderful country and fought to make the world safe for democracy and human freedom. Help us, O Lord, to continue to make these United States a center for justice and decency, integrity and opportunity.

Our country is blessed with unprecedented power, plenty and prosperity. Grant us the wisdom, O Gracious God, to appreciate these gifts and use them wisely for the benefit of all who live in our midst and to ensure that peace and security reign in this great Nation and throughout the entire world.

To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory