The Office of the Chaplain United States House of Representatives

Rabbi Mara Nathan

Temple Beth-El
San Antonio, TX

Sponsor: Rep. Joaquin Castro, (D-TX)
Date of Prayer: 01/19/2018

One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize our congressional prayer leader today, Rabbi Mara Nathan, and thank her for being here.

Rabbi Nathan began her tenure at Temple Beth–El in San Antonio in July 2014, where she was the first woman to serve as senior rabbi of a major congregation in the State of Texas.

At Temple Beth–El, Rabbi Nathan spent her time contributing to her congregation through community building, worship innovation, and
teaching Torah to learners of all ages.

Prior to being ordained in 2000 by the Hebrew Union College–Jewish
Institute of Religion in New York, she received a bachelor of arts degree in history as well as certificates in Jewish studies and women's
studies from Northwestern University in 1993.

During her studies, she was a recipient of the Steinhardt Fellowship,
a scholarship awarded to rabbinical students to further informal education with teens and college–age students, and received academic
awards for Hebrew, history, and Talmudic studies.

Before coming to San Antonio, Rabbi Nathan served almost 20 years at Larchmont Temple in New York, from 1994 to 2014, playing an instrumental role in all aspects of congregational life, including spiritual worship, ritual, and teaching.

We are happy to have Rabbi Nathan; her husband, Larry; and their children, Isaac, Solomon, and Miriam, in the San Antonio community.

Thank you, Rabbi, for your words of inspiration.

Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:

Holy One of blessing, You are the source of all. Regardless of our faith traditions, we recognize a force in the universe calling each of us to fulfill our potential.

We challenge ourselves to compensate for our shortcomings and emphasize our talents and energies for the greater good. We dedicate ourselves, each in our own way, to a life of service and meaning. Committed to the ideals of our great Nation, we are ever working towards the promise of what is still yet to be.

Therefore, we pray that You bestow the blessings of foresight, compassion, and patience upon the women and men of our Congress. May they be united in working for the good of our Nation, and may they recognize the spark of holiness in every human being.

Bless our leaders with strong minds and open hearts, ever ready to serve with integrity, purpose, and honor. Amen.

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