Rabbi Ely Rosenzveig
Congregation Anshe Shalom
New Rochelle, NY
Sponsor: Rep. Rep. Nita Lowey, (D-NY)
Date of Prayer: 05/09/2001
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to welcome Rabbi Ely Rosenzveig to the United States House of Representatives. A spiritual and moral leader of the New Rochelle community, Rabbi Rosenzveig brings honor to this body, just as he does to his own congregation. Rabbi Rosenzveig joins us from Congregation Anshe Sholom with his family, his four out of five children, with his in–laws, his parents and 40 members of the synagogue.
The synagogue celebrates its 105th birthday next week. Anshe Sholom has doubled in size during the past 5 years, ensuring that it continues to be one of the anchor congregations of Westchester County.
Rabbi Rosenzveig is a remarkable man, the son of Rabbi Charles and Helen Rosenzveig , both Holocaust survivors. His father, who is here with us today, came straight from a hospital bed; is a leader of the Holocaust Remembrance Movement. Like his son, the elder Rabbi Rosenzveig demonstrates that spiritual greatness is heightened by worldly activism.
[Time: 10:30] A master of economics and student of Talmud, an accomplished lawyer and dedicated Rabbi, a community leader and devoted father, Rabbi Rosenzveig has excelled in all facets of life. More important than his accomplishments, however, is the love he has for his five wonderful children, for his wife, and the model he sets not only for his congregation, but for the entire community around him.
A leader with warmth and respect for all people, Rabbi Rosenzveig teaches by example and lives by the ideal that our actions mean more than words. His presence here today and the large following that has come to hear him speak bear witness to that belief.
It is my distinct pleasure to welcome Rabbi Ely Rosenzveig to the Congress of the United States.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
O God, I pray that there shall come a day when each of us will know that it is not by virtue of might or power but by God's spirit that we truly lead; that we be as Moses' brother Aaron, each of us a peacemaker wherever trouble lurks and blood flows; that we love peace and pursue her in all that we do, all that we are.
I pray that we ever hear the still, small, silent voice of peace as she beckons us to ponder in her plaintive whisper: Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Let us be then the noble builders of bridges and pathways to each other.
I pray that we shall know from all the beauty and grace that is America that our call to peace is for everyone everywhere. In the words of the poet, "Our country is the world and our countrymen all of mankind."
Almighty and merciful God, bless this hallowed House and all its Members and keep them well; shed thy light upon us all and show thy grace; lift thy countenance unto us and grant us that greatest and most cherished of gifts, the gift of peace, where none shall injure, none shall kill, and the land shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
How good and pleasant it is when we dwell, you and I, as brother and sister, in blissful, wondrous harmony.
Heenay mah tov u'mah naeem shevet achim gam yachad. God bless you and America, now and forever. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory