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Why I wrote a prayer to be said on the Shabbat before Election Day

JL;DR SUMMARY David Zvi Kalman discusses the historical prayers for government recited in synagogues worldwide, which traditionally focus on the well-being of national leaders rather than the voting populace. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryDemocracyShabbatSynagoguesPrayerUnityGovernmentElectionsVotingCivic Duty

Places mentioned

New York, United States
"A 1760 version from Congregation Shearith Israel in New York asks God to help King George as well as the leaders of New Yorks state government."
United States
"In America, most synagogues pray for the president and vice president."
Canada
"In Canada, they pray for the prime minister."
United Kingdom
"Jews in the United Kingdom pray for King Charles by name."
Israel
"The standard prayer for the State of Israel mentions its leaders, ministers, and advisers."
France
"(The telling exception is France, where Jews pray for la Rpublique franaise et le peuple franais.)"
Spain
"A version of the prayer printed in Spain in 1490 lists the monarch as Fernando, the very ruler who would expel the countrys Jews just two years later."

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Cairo Item ID 34719
Cairo Source ID 42
Retrieved 2024-10-31 18:00:47 UTC
Curated 2024-10-31 19:00:57 UTC