Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

British Jewish community sends well wishes to Queen after positive COVID test

The monarch, 95, is experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms” but expects to continue her “light duties” at Windsor Castle, said the palace.

New Zealand governor-general designate Dame Cindy Kiro on a virtual call with Queen Elizabeth, Oct. 18, 2021. Credit: New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General via Wikimedia Commons.
New Zealand governor-general designate Dame Cindy Kiro on a virtual call with Queen Elizabeth, Oct. 18, 2021. Credit: New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General via Wikimedia Commons.

Members of the Jewish community in the United Kingdom have wished Queen Elizabeth a speedy recovery after Buckingham Palace revealed that she tested positive for COVID-19.

The monarch, 95, is experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms” but expects to continue her “light duties” at Windsor Castle, where she lives, the palace said in a statement over the weekend. “She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines.”

Ephraim Mirvis, chief rabbi of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, sent the queen well wishes on Sunday. He said on Twitter: “I extend my heartfelt best wishes to Her Majesty the Queen and others in the Royal Household for a refuah shlemah—a complete and speedy recovery.”

The Board of Deputies of British Jews similarly wrote on Twitter: “We are sorry to hear that HM the Queen has tested positive for COVID and wish her a speedy recovery. Refuah shlemah.”

The United Synagogue, a union of British Orthodox Jewish synagogues, said it “wishes Her Majesty a refuah shlemah—a full and speedy recovery.” Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said on behalf of the organization, “we wish Her Majesty the Queen a full and speedy recovery. She is in our thoughts and prayers.”

A number of people have tested positive for COVID at Windsor Castle, reported the BBC. The queen’s eldest son, Prince Charles, tested positive on Feb. 10 following a meeting with his mother two days earlier.

Danny Ayalon told JNS that the Israeli premier “will come with more intelligence showing that the Iranians are trying to rebuild their nuclear capabilities and infrastructure.”
The museum CEO told JNS that she hopes it will be a place for learning, contemplation as well as hope and optimism.
“Investigators are examining all possibilities, including whether the two incidents may be related,” a spokeswoman for the Toronto Police Service told JNS.
“I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack,” the mayor said.
A new CBS News-YouGov survey found Republicans leading Democrats by 2 percentage points on which party Americans trust more to handle Iran, even as most respondents said the conflict has been more difficult than the Trump administration expected.
“New Yorkers are refusing to normalize extremist hatred,” Jayne Zirkle, communications director for EndJewHatred, told JNS.