Rabbi Berg to Deliver U.S. Senate Opening Prayer During Chanukah

At U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s invitation, The Temple Rabbi Peter Berg will deliver the U.S. Senate’s Opening Prayer at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 12, ahead of the sixth night of Chanukah.

U.S. Senators can invite faith leaders from their states to serve as the U.S. Senate’s Guest Chaplin for the day, where they offer the opening prayer as the Senate begins its daily work. According to the Senate, the practice of inviting guest chaplains to deliver the Senate’s opening prayer dates to at least 1857.

Following the Rabbi’s opening prayer, Sens. Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock will deliver remarks on the U.S. Senate floor.

“It is my honor to accept Sen. Ossoff’s gracious invitation to deliver the U.S. Senate’s Opening Prayer and serve as the U.S. Senate’s Guest Chaplain,” Rabbi Berg said. “I look forward to joining Senators Ossoff and Warnock and members of the U.S. Senate tomorrow to pray for peace and unity for our nation’s leaders and for our country.”

The Temple is located in midtown Atlanta and is one of American Judaism’s most historic religious institutions. Founded in 1867, it is Atlanta’s oldest synagogue.

When Sen. Ossoff was sworn in to the U.S. Senate in January 2021, he was sworn in using a book of Hebrew scripture once owned by Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, who led The Temple from 1946 to 1973. Rabbi Rothschild was an outspoken civil rights activist and ally of Dr. King. Rabbi Rothschild’s outspoken opposition to segregation and Jim Crow led to the bombing of The Temple by white

To watch remotely, a livestream of the U.S. Senate floor can be found at https://www.senate.gov/legislative/floor_activity_pail.htm or on C-SPAN at https://www.c-span.org/video/?532354-1/us-senate.