50 years ago--Rabbi begins White House service with Christian hymn

Richard Nixon, who took office as the 37th President of the United States of America on January 20, 1969, was the first President to regularly host religious services in the White House. On June 29, 1969, Louis Finkelstein became the first rabbi to lead one of these services, but began the service with a Christian hymn that the largely Jewish gathering could not sing. Rabbi Finkelstein said that he was not surprised nor upset by the hymn. According to former White House aide Charles Colson in his book Kingdoms in Conflict (1987), Mr. Nixon put on the broadly ecumenical services for maximum political effect.