Rabbi Gary Klein
Temple Ahavat Shalom
Palm Harbor, FL
Sponsor: Rep. Gus Bilirakis, (R-FL)
Date of Prayer: 06/27/2017
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome my great friend,
Rabbi Gary Klein, who has led the Temple Ahavat Shalom of Palm Harbor, Florida, for the past 30 years.
Temple Ahavat Shalom is a congregation that serves nearly 500 households in my district. Since coming to Pinellas County in 1987, he served on the board of the St. Leo University Center for Catholic–Jewish studies and currently serves on the National Council of AIPAC.
Rabbi Klein is a long–time advocate on behalf of the U.S.–Israel alliance.
As co–chair of the Congressional Hellenic Israeli Alliance, I welcome his continued advice and counsel, especially as it relates to security in the Eastern Mediterranean.
For several years now, I have joined Rabbi Klein and the congregation for Passover Seder, and I very much look forward to continuing this tradition.
I am thankful for his friendship, and I wish him many more years of
blessed leadership.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Religious traditions teach that people and God are to work together to create a better world. Therefore, as we begin this day of work of the House of Representatives, we pray first, O God, that You join with medical professionals to help Congressman Scalise and others injured with him experience complete recoveries.
We also pray that You bless the efforts of this legislative body so that the collective courage, dedication, compassion, and wisdom of its Members help this country maintain its position as "a light unto the nations."
You have also taught us through the Talmud, a work of Jewish religious literature, that trying to improve the world, even if you do not complete the task, is life's most sacred duty. Help us and our legislators to also understand the Talmudic concept that reinforces this when it states: If you save a single life, it is as if you saved
the entire world.
O God, help each of us as Americans recognize the significance of the work done by our legislators, and help us to always be grateful to them. God, we also pray that You keep our legislators healthy and safe so that they may continue their work of improving the world. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory