Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Chief rabbi of UK: Queen Elizabeth II’s affection for the Jewish people ran deep

“Every week in synagogue we prayed for her welfare, well-being and wisdom, and she never let us down,” said Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.

Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, offers condolences for Queen Elizabeth II in a video message. Source: Twitter.

Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom Ephraim Mirvis released a video message on Twitter praising Queen Elizabeth II following her passing on Thursday, saying she “embodied the most noble values of British society.”

“Throughout her extraordinary reign, she conducted herself with grace, dignity and humility and was a global role model for distinguished leadership and selfless devotion to society. In an ever-changing world, she was a rock of stability and a champion of timeless values,” he added. “Every week in synagogue we have prayed for her welfare, well-being and wisdom, and she never let us down.”

He applauded the late queen’s “warm relationship” with the Jewish community, adding that she had a particular commitment to “interfaith relations and Holocaust memorial.”

“I recall how, on one occasion, she showed me and my wife items of Jewish interest and value in her private collection in Windsor Castle, including a Torah scroll rescued from Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust,” Mirvis recounted. “Her affection for the Jewish people ran deep, and her respect for our values was palpable.”

https://twitter.com/chiefrabbi/status/1567937332032016384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1567937332032016384%7Ctwgr%5Eb6c0f75dc64406edb818d601d080ed7d632504af%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jns.org%2Fjewish-community-expresses-condolences-as-queen-elizabeth-iis-reign-comes-to-an-end%2F

The Queen died on Thursday at the age of 96 as the longest reigning monarch in British history. She was surrounded by the royal family, including her children, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Korn stated that the vote came a “consequential moment for the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”
The ordinance was proposed after anti-Israel activists repeatedly protested outside the private residence of Rep. Adam Smith.
Sarah Levin, of Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa, told JNS that “educators are being trained on materials that erase and rewrite Jewish history.”
The U.K. had in 2025 the highest per capita rate of antisemitic assaults of any country with a large Jewish community.
“No Jewish community in this country has been left unscathed over the past several years,” said B’nai Brith Canada’s CEO.
Dawas Hassun, a Beit Imrin resident in his 50s, intentionally hit an ATV carrying three Israelis, according to police.