The New Synagogue here, a Reform congregation, will inaugurate a special prayer for Wales, to be recited in the Welsh language, at its Sabbath morning service on February 13. It will be a permanent part of the service thereafter, according to Rabbi Kenneth Cohen, minister of the 140-year-old New Synagogue.
The prayer was composed by Cohen and by Rev. Noel Davies, General Secretary of the Council of Churches for Wales, who translated it into Welsh. According to Cohen, an American who came here a year ago, “The concept of such a prayer is ancient in origin and is sanctioned by Biblical authority.”
He cited the message sent by Jeremiah to the Jewish captives in Babylon in which he told them (29.7) “Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto the Lord for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.”
Cohen noted: “We recite a prayer for the welfare of the Royal Family and government in English, after which we recite a prayer for the State of Israel in Hebrew. It only seems rights that we, the sole Reform Synagogue in Wales, should pray for this country and that this prayer should be in the language of the land.”
The prayer reads: “Our God and God of our fathers, we pray also for Wales. We thank you for the beauty of her land, the wealth of her traditions and the fellowship of her peoples. May all inhabitants of Wales be united in their love of you and respect for their common humanity, so that justice may roll down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
