Chabad Rabbi First Non-Catholic Ever Offers Prayer at America's Freedom Festival


by Staff Writer - Provo, Utah

July 23, 2008

(lubavitch.com) Rabbi Benny Zippel, Director of Chabad of Utah, became the first non-Catholic clergy to offer the invocation at America’s Freedom Festival.

Billed as the largest July 4th celebration in the country with record attendance, some 17,000 participants listened in hushed silence as Rabbi Zippel offered his prayer.

Sharing a stage at Brigham Young University's Marriott with radio and television host Glen Beck, Zippel used the opportunity to touch on universal values, specifically the Noahide Laws. He spoke of faith in G-d as intrinsic to American values that are celebrated on Independence Day.

Rabbi Zippel, founder of a mentoring program for teens in treatment centers in Provo, also spoke of the Lubavitcher Rebbe as a patriot who "cherished" the freedoms of the U.S.

Since the June 29 event, says Zippel, “I’ve been getting many requests for copies of the prayer."

For a video clip of Rabbi Zippel's prayer, click here.

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Former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Rabbi Chaim Mendelsohn, Head of holocaust task force in Canada Mario Silva, Canadian Ambassador to Israel Paul Hunt at Yad Vashem.

Former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Rabbi Chaim Mendelsohn, Head of holocaust task force in Canada Mario Silva, Canadian Ambassador to Israel Paul Hunt at Yad Vashem. Go to galleryGo to gallery »

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