This coming Shabbat, Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s chief rabbi, will be a guest at St. James’s Palace in London. First, he will arise early on Saturday morning and set off to a 6 am synagogue service, and then he will walk to Westminster Abbey to participate in the coronation of King Charles III. Mirvis puts the proceedings in the wider context of Anglo-Jewish history:
On September 3, 1189, Richard I was crowned king in Westminster Abbey. Jews were barred from attending, but in a spirit of heartfelt goodwill, some Jewish leaders arrived bearing gifts for the new king. They were informed that Jews were not welcome, whereupon Richard’s courtiers stripped and flogged them, and then flung them out of court.
A rumor spread that the king had given an order for all Jews to be attacked. While some Jews escaped, arsonists set fire to many Jewish homes; some Jews were forcibly converted, while others were given sanctuary in the Tower of London. Some 30 innocent Jews were senselessly murdered on the day of the coronation, including Rabbi Jacob of Orléans, the most senior rabbi in England at that time.
These tragic events stand in sharp contrast to our experience as Jews in 21st-century Britain. His Majesty King Charles III has made it clear that he wants representatives of the Jewish community and other minority faith communities to be present for the coronation service. In addition, he has established an unprecedented opportunity, following the service itself, for faith leaders to be incorporated into the formal proceedings. I will be privileged, together with four other senior faith leaders, to greet the king with words of tribute and blessing. At every stage, the palace has been sensitive to the requirements of halakhah (Jewish law) when considering how best to include us. With this in mind, in accordance with the laws of Shabbat, I will not be using a microphone.
Mirvis and his wife plan to present the king and queen homemade cookies, which they are confident will be better received than the gifts of their 12th-century forbears.
Read more on Jewish Chronicle: https://www.thejc.com/lets-talk/all/charless-embrace-of-faith-shows-how-just-how-much-times-have-changed-1gluG6h0BxvoiXAcA5x3oL