Prince Charles Says Thank You

The phone rang, it was the day after Rosh Hashanah. Desperate for any distraction from writing sermons I picked up. It was the President of the Board of Deputies. Of course I had a few moments. She wanted to know if I would be able to go somewhere, she couldn’t say where, to be hosted by someone, she couldn’t say whom. It sounded like a very poor thriller. It turned out to be Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace, hosting a reception to celebrate the Jewish Community of the United Kingdom. I arrived alongside the doyen of Limmud, Clive Lawton and the actor Paul Kaye. Inside, Kedassia-supervised canapes were processed around the ballroom by waiters in frockcoats with their left hands folded behind their backs. And there was Prince Charles. He gives a very good speech.

“My family and I are particularly aware that in Synagogues across the country you pray for us, in your weekly prayers. So I do hope you will accept that we, in turn, pray for, and express our thanks to, you and your families.” We were taken on a whistle-stop tour of Great Jews in British History; Sir Solomon de Medina – the first Jew knighted in 1700, Nathan Mayer Rothschild, “ennobled by my great-great-great grandmother.” There was a warm mention of “my grandmother, Princess Alice,” awarded the distinction of being among the Righteous of the Nations, having hidden a Jewish family in her home in Nazi-occupied Greece. “When my grandmother announced her wish to be buried at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, there was concern in the family as to how we would be able to visit the grave. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said, ‘There’s a perfectly good bus service from the airport.’”

The message was that there is strength and unity in the diversity of the United Kingdom – plenty of mention was made of the work of other faith communities - and the Prince concluded with an impeccable Dvar Torah, drawing on the charge to, “Choose life.” He was very good. As I chatted with Rabbis from across the denominations, the Chairs of both Labour and Conservative Friends of Israel and professional and lay leaders of a vast range of communal organisations, I appreciated the honour of being able to represent New London, and the Masorti Movement at the event. I felt proud of the enormous contribution Jews make to all levels of public life in this country and I reflected on this; in the entire history of the Jewish people how many times has anything similar to such a reception, perhaps most remarkable for its normalcy, ever happened?  These are, I know, strange political times, and there will be a General Election before I sit down to write again to the congregation, but it is a remarkable blessing to be a Jew living in the United Kingdom. That blessing comes with obligations to strive to continue to ensure not only our own warm inclusion in British society, but also that of other minorities also. There is indeed greater strength and unity possible in a celebration of diversity, than in a concentration on uniformity. And, as the Book of Deuteronomy counsels, we must all continue to strive to, “Choose life.”

Shabbat Shalom