Dear Rabbi Mirvis,
With great sadness we express to you and to your entire community our sorrow over the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. We have some recognition from afar of what her presence and leadership meant to the Jewish community of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. The Queen represented to you – and to us as well – stability and dignity, tradition and grace.
In a world that values power and pragmatics, our Jewish community of faith recognizes the meaning and impact of the symbolic. Queen Elizabeth represented royalty and humility, uncommon compassion and a profound humanity. Her reign extended over a period of trauma and rebirth for the Jewish people towards whom she consistently demonstrated deep respect and a warm affinity.
Our tradition teaches us that when we encounter a monarch, we are to take note and bless G-d who “gave of His honor to those of flesh and blood.” Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II accepted that gift with grace, reflecting the dignity towards which all of us must aspire and raising the humanity of us all.
With much sorrow,
Moishe Bane
President
Rabbi Moshe Hauer
Executive Vice President
Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph
Executive Vice President & COO