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Mark Hardie
Founder, Chairman, CEO of "The Taylor Swift Party" | Attorney | Army Veteran

Judaism for All: New Holy Prayer for Jews of Color

Barack O. Mandel at the grave site of Rabbi Elazar Shach in B’nai Brak, Israel..

The Need for this New Jewish Prayer

There are millions of Jewish people of color around the world including: Sephardic, Yemenite, Persian, Moroccan, Ethiopian, Nigerian, Latino, African American, Asian, and many others.

It is therefore time for our official prayer books (Siddur) to reflect the rich racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of our Jewish people. By including this special prayer for Jews of Color, our Jewish communities will become more inclusive, accepting, compassionate, and loving.

I recently studied several Jewish prayer books including: “Tehillat HaShem” by 770 (Chabad Lubavitch/Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch) in New York; the Artscroll series Schottenstein Edition; and “Mishkan T’fillah” by the Central Conference of American Rabbis.

After years of study, prayer, meditation, and preparation, I have written this new holy prayer for all Jewish people to celebrate Jews of Color which can be added to morning prayer (Shacharit), afternoon prayer (Mincha), and evening prayer (Maariv/Arvit).

Request for Support from Rabbis

It is officially requested that the following Jewish institutions approve this new prayer: Orthodox Union (OU), Agudat Israel, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), Degel HaTorah, Shas, Eda Haredit, Rabbinical Council of California, Rabbinical Council of America, Union of Reform Judaism, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, and Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.

It is requested that Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis of the United Kingdom approve this new prayer. It is also requested that Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey approve this new prayer.

I ask the following organizations to endorse and support this new prayer: World Jewish Congress (WJC), Jewish Agency, Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, Hillel, Hadassah, NCSY, USY, Bnai Brith, Anti-Defamation League, and American Jewish Committee (AJC).

The Text of the New Prayer

THE PRAYER FOR DIVERSITY & INCLUSION OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE Dedicated to the World Jewish Community

by Barack O. Mandela, Esq. ( Hebrew Name: Benjamin Ze’ev Rothschild)

O Heavenly Father

“Bring peace to your people”

O Creator of the world

“Have mercy on Israel”

O God Almighty, you are the Source of eternal Truth and eternal Life,

We call upon You to have mercy on the people of Israel.

O Heavenly Father, we plead with you to bless and protect homeless and displaced people.

O God of the Prophet Abraham, we ask you to bring an end to racism, discrimination, brutality, prejudice, and hatred.

O God of the Prophet Moses, have mercy upon the whole world, bring empowerment to the weak, poor, and marginalized.

May the God of Israel bless us with acceptance and appreciation for diversity and inclusion of all ethnicities into the nation of Israel.

May the Source of Peace bring peace to the whole world.

Amen.


Barack Obama Mandela earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law with a specialization in International Law. He is a protégé of the late Professor Stefan A. Riesenfeld.

About the Author
Licensed Attorney. I earned a Doctor of Law at the University of California Law San Francisco (Hastings) . I earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Riverside. I was an international student at the University of Costa Rica Faculty of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Law, and Bar Ilan University. I am a military veteran of the United States Army. I am a laureate of the National Defense Service Medal from the Pentagon. I am a financial donor to following: Harvard Law, Yale Law, Stanford Law, Berkeley Law, Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, UC Hastings College of the Law, UC Davis Law, Columbine High School, Choate Rosemary Hall, Phillips Exeter Academy, Sidwell Friends School, Viewpoint School, Beverly Hills High School, Eton College in the United Kingdom, Special Olympics, Children's Defense Fund, Obama Foundation, Clinton Foundation, Barbra Streisand Foundation, Princeton University, Florida A&M, Howard University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, and the British Red Cross. I am former special assistant and staff attorney to Governor Pete Wilson of California. I was public affairs assistant to US Senator Barbara Boxer. I was public affair assistant for Mayor of Jerusalem Ehud Olmert and Jerusalem spokesperson Haggai Elias. I am a former member of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. I am a member of the American Legion and Jewish War Veterans.
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