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 Rabbi Lewis M. Barth gives Invocation at LA Board of Supervisors Meeting We are pleased to inform you that our own, Dr. Lewis M. Barth, Dean of HUC-JIR/LA, gave the invocation this morning at the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors meeting. The meeting will be televised on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 at 10:00 PM (PST) on KLCS. The text of the invocation is listed below. Invocation at the Board of Supervisors, County of Los Angeles Tuesday, November 15, 2005 Rabbi Lewis M. Barth Our God and God of the ancestors of all who dwell in this wonderfully diverse community, we pray for the strength to open our minds, hearts, and resources for the benefit of all who make their homes among us, and among whom we live-the poor, the homeless, those who have no medical care and those who feel our society does not care about them. We follow the ancient injunction to "pray for the welfare of the government." May we remember the conclusion of the commandment to "pray for the welfare of the government so that the government will stop men from swallowing each other alive." May we keep true to the values and laws we were raised to believe were the foundation of our democracy, including the separation of church and state, so science can flourish, teachers can teach, and religion bring its moral critique having critiqued its own house first. Bless our elected representatives and officials with the wisdom to use their power to bring harmony and not discord, security and not fear, hope and not despair, trust and not suspicion and cynicism-so we can work together to make our city, our county, our state, our nation, and our world a better place for all people created in the image of God. Amen Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the nation's oldest institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR educates men and women for service to American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, educators, and communal service professionals, and offers graduate and post-graduate programs to scholars of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC-JIR's scholarly resources comprise renowned library and museum collections, the American Jewish Archives, biblical archaeology excavations, research institutes and centers, and academic publications. HUC-JIR invites the community to an array of cultural and educational programs which illuminate Jewish history, identity, and contemporary creativity and which foster interfaith and multiethnic understanding. Visit us at www.huc.edu |
