Mr. Gossett was featured by The Washington Times in the August 19th edition of Inside the Beltway.

Actor Lou Gossett Jr. this Saturday will become the first black American to deliver a Shabbat morning sermon at the National Synagogue in Washington. Actor Lou Gossett Jr. this Saturday will become the first black American to deliver a Shabbat morning sermon at the National Synagogue in Washington.

LOU’S SERMON

That will be 72-year-old Oscar-winning actor Lou Gossett Jr., making history this Saturday by becoming the first black American to deliver a Shabbat morning sermon in the 122-year history of the National Synagogue in Washington.

“To him whom much is given, much is expected,” Mr. Gossett remarked in anticipation of his 11:30 a.m. appearance. “I see myself as a vessel that God uses to do the work I am on the planet to do.”

It was in 1886, when Grover Cleveland was president, that a group of devout Russian immigrant Jews founded Ohev Sholom Congregation in Washington. The first services were held on the second floor above Myer Fisher’s clothing store in the 1100 block of Seventh Street Northwest.

Today, the Orthodox synagogue on Jonquil Street Northwest has more than 350 families as members.

We might point out that Mr. Gossett will be showcased Monday in the HBO documentary “The Black List,” a collection of portraits surrounding 20 influential black Americans.