Plan in Motion for State Ballot of Rebbe’s Non-Denominational Prayer

With the moral values in our country rapidly deteriorating and the rising insecurity and upheaval globally, R’ Hillel Hellinger of North Miami Beach, FL, is seeking to bring the Rebbe’s non-denominational prayer into American public schools. Now, that proposal is being listed for public election in the state of Florida.

By Anash.org reporter

With the moral values in our country rapidly deteriorating and the rising insecurity and upheaval globally, R’ Hillel Hellinger of North Miami Beach, FL, felt compelled to make a difference.

“What was in the past perhaps a theoretical concern is now a painful reality,” Hellinger tells Anash.org. “School shootings have skyrocketed, attempts being made on the President’s life, and a widespread carelessness and lack of accountability. The Rebbe’s timeless words on the need to remind school children of the ‘Eye that sees and the ear that hears’ is more crucial than ever.”

He decided to launch “Heal Our Nation,” a political group geared to bring the Rebbe’s vision for a non-denominational prayer in American public schools into reality.

Originally created in 1950 by the New York State “Board of Regents”, a non-denominational prayer is a prayer to the Almighty that is universal and not particular to any religion. In 1962, the 26-word prayer was outlawed by the Supreme Court and declared unconstitutional.  The Rebbe spoke out passionately against this decision and urged all Frum Jews to use every legal and constitutional means to see the Supreme Court’s ruling reversed.

But then, in 1982, then-President Ronald Reagan sought to pass an amendment allowing students to independently compose their own verbal prayers. Non-Jews were likely to introduce Christian prayers, causing a detrimental effect on the Jewish children.

That is when the Rebbe began to advocate for a ‘Moment of Silence,’ a non-verbal meditation that would avoid denominational influence. Yet, in a letter to Senator Rudy Boschwitz, the Rebbe specified that the ‘Moment of Silence’ was meant as a temporary measure, and that ultimately, when feasible, every American public school should start the day with a non-denominational prayer.

“The political situation today seems to present an opportunity for the original Supreme Court ruling to finally be overturned”, Hellinger says. “This was affirmed by renowned constitutional attorney Alan Dershowitz.”

Living in Florida, Hellinger hopes to gather enough support to place this proposal on the public ballot. Once successful, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote on legislating this initiative and bring the Rebbe’s vision to fruition.

The proposal that would appear on the Florida ballot, taken from the Rebbe’s 1964 letter, reads as follows:

“In order to impress upon the minds of our growing-up generation that the world in which they live is not a jungle, where brute force, cunning and unbridled passion rule supreme, but that it has a Master Who is not an abstraction, but a personal G-d; that this Supreme Being takes a ‘personal interest’ in the affairs of each and every individual, and to Him everyone is accountable for one’s daily conduct, we establish the following non-denominational prayer for public school students grades K-12:

“Almighty G-d, we acknowledge our dependence upon You, and we beg Your blessings upon us, our families and our country.”

Hellinger urges everyone to get involved and support this initiative. Whether by helping to gather the required signatures or contributing to the necessary expenses, everyone can participate.

In the Rebbe’s own words: “It would appear clear that every Jew, for whom the Torah is a guide, is dutybound to use every legal and constitutional means to see the majority-decision of the Supreme Court on the Regents Prayer reversed”.

For more information and to get involved in this project, contact [email protected]

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