March 19, 2003
11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004, Tel: (212) 563-4000, Fax (212) 564-9058, www.ou.org
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2003
The leadership of the Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America tonight issued the following statement following President Bush’s address on Iraq:
With the possibility of war imminent, we of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and of the Rabbinical Council of America call for prayer, courage, and hope.
We pray for a swift conclusion to this
war and for the realization of all of its noble objectives.
We pray for the total elimination of the arsenals of weapons of mass
destruction, which pose a grave threat to humanity.
We pray for the well being of innocent civilians who are in harm's way.
We pray for the achievement of liberty and freedom for the citizens of
Iraq.
We pray that Israel will be blessed with neighbors that will allow her
to live in peace.
We pray that the Almighty enlighten the hearts and minds of our leaders
with His good counsel.
We pray for the eradication of terror and for lasting peace throughout
the world.
We pray for the courage to rise to the many challenges that lie ahead.
We pray for the continued capacity to hope for a better future for all
mankind.
We call upon all of our constituent congregations, along with men and women of good faith everywhere, to pray for the well being of the members of the Armed Services of the United States of America. Our synagogues have been provided with texts of appropriate special prayers for this occasion
We echo the ancient words with which we traditionally conclude our prayers:
"May He who makes peace in His celestial domain, bring peace to us all...and let us say 'Amen'"
Harvey Blitz
President Orthodox Union
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
Executive Vice President Orthodox Union
Rabbi Herschel Billet
President Rabbinical
council of America
Rabbi Bertram Leff
Executive Director Pro Tem
Rabbinical Council of America
The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish
community of North America and beyond, is a world leader in community
and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY,
political action through the IPA, and advocacy for persons with
disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher supervision label,
the 
(OU), is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be
found on over 250,000 products manufactured in 68 countries around the
globe.
The Rabbinical Council of America is a dynamic professional organization serving over 1,100 Orthodox Rabbis in the United States of America, Canada and Israel. Membership is comprised of duly ordained Orthodox Rabbis who serve in positions of the congregational Rabbinate, Jewish education, chaplaincies, and other allied fields of Jewish communal work. While many of its members received their smicha from <http://www.yu.edu/riets> Yeshivat Rabbenu Yitzchak Elchanan (affiliated with <http://www.yu.edu> Yeshiva University, New York) and <http://www.htcnet.edu> Bet Midrash Letorah (Hebrew Theological College, Skokie, Illinois), a large number were ordained from other major yeshivot in the United States, Israel and Europe and by recognized Rabbinic Torah authorities.
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