President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal will formally represent Israel at the Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday. And the UK will be doing its best to welcome the couple, who will stay near Westminster Abbey so that they can walk to the ceremony without violating Shabbat.
Similar arrangements are in place for Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and his wife, Valerie. Rabbi Mirvis will follow a 120-year-old precedent set by his predecessor, Chief Rabbi Hermann Adler, who also attended the coronation of King Edward VII on a Shabbat in 1902.
President Herzog also represented Israel at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, held on 19 September, where he and his wife also visited the late Queen’s lying in state and signed a book of condolences.
The Herzogs will fly to London on Thursday evening, and on Friday will attend a reception hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in honour of all the heads of state and royals flying in for the occasion.
This year, we want to do more to bless Israel and the Jewish people.
We know that as we bless Israel this year, God will bless us, just as He promised in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Now is the time to bless Israel and the Jewish people.
