New Florida Judge Takes The Bench With Jewish Prayer For Wisdom

Robert Luck
After Robert Luck was named to the Florida Supreme Court on Monday, he closed his speech, in which he posited he was the first Jewish member in 20 years, with a blessing from the Amidah, a prayer recited throughout services while standing.
“You grace humans with wisdom and teach humanity perception,” Luck said, according to Politico Florida reporter Marc Caputo. “Bestow upon us Your knowledge, insight and understanding. Blessed are you the grantor of wisdom.”
Judge Luck closes with the blessing known as Ata Chonen from the Jewish prayer, Amidah: “You grace humans with wisdom and teach humanity perception. Bestow upon us Your knowledge, insight and understanding. Blessed are you the grantor of wisdom.”
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) January 14, 2019
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Circuit Judge Luck to the Court on Monday morning, according to the Miami Herald. Caputo reported that DeSantis said Luck, who served less than two years on the Third District Court of Appeal, was a “man for all seasons.”
Luck shared the praise, applauding DeSantis for his support of “Israel and, by extension, the Jewish community.” He also guessed that he was the first Jewish member of the Florida Supreme Court in 20 years.
After Luck closed his speech with the Admiah, which is said thrice daily to give praise, petitions and thanks, DeSantis promised to soon give an announcement concerning Israel and Florida.
DeSantis promises an announcement concerning Israel and Florida soon, says he’ll be back soon
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) January 14, 2019
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Trump’s heedless approach to an Iran deal could be a big problem for Israel
-
Fast Forward In NYC, Itamar Ben-Gvir says he’s changed — and wants ‘the Trump plan’ in Gaza
-
Opinion Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to a Jewish society at Yale exposed deep rifts between US Jews
-
Fast Forward On his first trip to Auschwitz, New Jersey governor urges vigilance against rising antisemitism
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.