In 1949, as Harry S. Truman prepared for the first presidential inauguration since the end of World War II, the Holocaust, and the creation of the State of Israel, he made a significant decision: he invited a rabbi to speak at his swearing-in ceremony. This marked a historic expansion of a tradition that, since 1937, had included Protestant and Catholic clergy.
Rabbi Samuel Thurman of United Hebrew Congregation in St. Louis, Truman’s home state of Missouri, was the trailblazer. His inclusion reflected both Truman’s respect for religious diversity and his personal connection to Thurman, forged in part through the Masonic fraternal movement.
Rabbi Thurman’s speech at the inauguration was a profound statement of faith and hope for a world still recovering from World War II. As we swear in a new president, we revisit his words today.
Rabbi Thurman’s Inaugural Prayer
“Almighty God: Creator and Ruler of the world, Fountainhead of Justice and Mercy, Thou who dost guide the destinies of nations, and dost appoint their rulers and governors, we beseech Thee this day to hallow this solemn occasion with Thy presence.
Grant, O Lord, Thy choicest blessings to him who is this day being inaugurated as President of these United States. Give him strength and courage, wisdom and vision, faith and patience to meet the manifold responsibilities of his high office. May Thy Divine Guidance ever be his as he leads this great Nation in the paths of peace and justice.
Bless our beloved country, O God, with Thy protecting care. Help us to dedicate ourselves anew to the ideals upon which this Nation was founded, and to translate those ideals into practice, in our relations with the nations of the world. May our country’s efforts be devoted to establishing peace among men, and promoting good will among all nations, that our generation may be privileged to witness the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy: ‘And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.’
Grant, O God, that this Nation may ever remain a beacon light to the oppressed and downtrodden of the earth. Help us to fulfill the promise of democracy and freedom which Thou hast entrusted to us, and to spread the blessings of liberty and justice to all corners of the globe.
Accept our thanksgiving, O Lord, for the many blessings which Thou hast bestowed upon us as a Nation. May we continue to deserve Thy bounty by dedicating ourselves anew to the service of Thee and our fellow men.
This we ask in the name of Him who is our God and our Father, now and forever. Amen.”
A Legacy of Inclusion
Rabbi Thurman’s participation in the 1949 inauguration signaled not only an acknowledgment of the Jewish community’s contributions but also an aspiration for a more inclusive vision of the nation’s leadership.
For the Jewish community of St. Louis, Rabbi Thurman’s role at the inauguration became a source of immense pride. After that historic day, Rabbi Thurman was mentioned more than 75 times in the St. Louis Jewish Light as “the rabbi who spoke at Truman’s inauguration.” The title stuck like glue, ensuring that Thurman’s connection to the event became an indelible part of his identity in local memory.
Rabbis since Thurman
Since then, eight other rabbis have spoken at inauguration ceremonies, with a ninth — Ari Berman of Yeshiva University — scheduled to take the stage Monday for Donald Trump’s second inaugural.
No women rabbis have spoken at an inauguration, but many more rabbis have spoken at a prayer service held before the formal ceremony; in 2021, during the pandemic, Sharon Brous of IKAR in Los Angeles and Sharon Kleinbaum of Congregation Beth Simchat Torah in New York City spoke during a virtual service.
Here’s a rundown of the rabbis who have participated in a quadrennial American tradition.
- 1949: Thurman’s prayer at Truman’s inauguration clocked in at an unusual four minutes
- 1953: Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver spoke at the inauguration of Dwight David Eisenhower. Silver, who led an Ohio Reform congregation, was best known for his vocal advocacy of Zionism before the creation of Israel. He believed that without aggressive lobbying, the United States could not be counted on to support a Jewish state — to the extent that his ties with the Truman White House had grown tense.
- 1957: For his second inauguration, Eisenhower invited Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the Conservative movement’s rabbinical school, to deliver a prayer. We reported at the time:
Immediately before the actual swearing in of Mr. Eisenhower, Rabbi Finkelstein recited a prayer calling for Divine guidance, life, and vision for the President and Vice President Nixon, When the Rabbi completed the prayer, Mr. Eisenhower grasped his hand and pressed it warmly.
- 1961: When John F. Kennedy was inauguration, Rabbi Nelson Glueck, an archaeologist who was the president of Hebrew Union College, delivered the benediction.
- 1965: Kennedy’s successor after his assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson invited Rabbi Hyman Judah Schachtel, the leader of Congregation Beth Israel of Houston, to deliver an opening prayer. Schachtel was a “personal friend” of Johnson from Texas.
- 1969: For his first inaugural, Californian Richard Nixon tapped Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin, the head of Los Angeles’ Wilshire Boulevard Temple. Under his leadership, which lasted until his death in 1984, the synagogue expanded from 400 families to 2,500 — a fraction of its size today.
- 1973: For his second inaugural, Nixon turned to Rabbi Seymour Siegel, a professor at the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary. Siegel, who had been an avid Nixon supporter, told JTA at the time that the White House had provided him with accommodations so he could participate in the ceremony as it fell that year on Shabbat.
- 1985: No Jewish clergy participated in Ronald Reagan’s first inauguration in 1981, but in 1985, for his second, he widened the speaker list to include Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk, the president of Hebrew Union College. The head of HUC from 1971 to 1996, Gottschalk was later found to have harassed and assaulted women at the seminary, according to a 2021 report commissioned by the Reform movement.
- 2017: After a three-decade period in which no rabbis spoke at inaugurations, Donald Trump invited Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center to speak. Hier promised a prayer with a “21st-century ring to it” and said he had accepted Trump’s invitation, which drew protests because of Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, in part because he was friendly with the parents of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
- 2025: For his second inaugural, Trump tapped Berman of Yeshiva University, marking the first time that the leader of an Orthodox institution will speak. Orthodox Jews delivered reliable support for Trump in his reelection bid.
—
The post These are all the rabbis who have spoken at US presidential inaugurations appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
