VIRTUAL: C-SPAN'S Howard Mortman Discusses When Rabbis Bless Congress
Join HCW to learn more about the history of Jewish prayer in the Capitol.
When: Monday, December 5th, 2022, 6:00pm ET
Where: Zoom
Congress opens each session with a prayer offered by a chaplain or guest chaplain. Among the guest chaplains: Rabbis.
Join the Harvard Club of DC as we welcome the author, C-SPAN communications director Howard Mortman, to discuss his new work examining the history of Jewish prayer in the Capitol. When Rabbis Bless Congress is an unprecedented examination of 160 years of Jewish prayers delivered in the literal and figurative center of American democracy. With exhaustive research written in approachable prose, it uniquely tells the story of over 400 rabbis giving over 600 prayers since the Civil War days—who they are and what they say. If you want to know how many came from other countries (27); how many were women (14); and how many of the female rabbis wore yarmulkes (half), this is the book for you. If you want to know why that matters, this book has that, too. And if, after reading it, you have more questions, this is the talk for you!
About the Author:
Howard Mortman has been the communications director for C-SPAN, the nation's only public affairs cable tv network, since 2009. Highlights of his work there include conceiving and executing the channel's 40th anniversary celebration, resulting in the Washington Post headline: "Happy birthday, C-SPAN. We need you more than ever." When Rabbis Bless Congress: The Great American Story of Jewish Prayers on Capitol Hill is his first book.
Find When Rabbis Bless Congress at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or an independent bookshop near you.
Fee: FREE!