Angela Levin: King Charles’s relentless efforts meant the coronation was a triumph for other religions

It cannot have been easy to organize a modern coronation at such short notice as the ceremony took place just seven months after Queen Elizabeth’s death.

It was imperative to recognize that the nation has changed tremendously in the 70 years since the Queen was crowned.

So the tensions were as real as they were understandable, especially when it came to including other religions.

For example, Anglican canon law made it impossible for non-Christian religious leaders to pray aloud in the abbey. Instead, they were largely relegated to a ceremonial procession and formal greeting afterwards.

Would this be acceptable to the thousands of Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus?

Faith leaders gather around the throne after the coronation. King Charles had made it a point to include them in a modernized ceremony

There were also other concerns, especially for Orthodox Jews.

Was it appropriate for Sir Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, to spend Saturday, the holy Jewish Sabbath, in a Christian church?

But what threatened to become a cause of resentment has turned out to be a triumph.

There was little criticism and instead we were left with a milestone of unity, described by the Chief Rabbi as a gesture of “deep respect” for Jews and Judaism.

Praise indeed – and much of it was due to King Charles’s extraordinary (amazing, in fact) personal efforts behind the scenes when he was so busy.

For example, he invited the Chief Rabbi and his wife Valerie to stay at Clarence House, just a mile from Westminster Abbey, where the coronation took place.

This is because Orthodox Jews do not use transportation on the Sabbath and follow what the Chief Rabbi calls a “digital detox day.” As a result, Rabbi Mirvis was able to walk to the ceremony, as permitted.

The king invited Rabbi Mirvis to spend the night before the coronation at Clarence House, which meant he could walk to the abbey – and observe strict Sabbath rules

Rabbi Mirvis (back, centre) speaks with Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, during The Big Help Out volunteer day at The Passage, a homelessness charity in London on May 8 to celebrate the coronation

The Royal Family ensured that all necessary rules were observed. A kosher caterer was even brought in to prepare their Friday night coronation chicken dinner.

When the service was over, the king walked to the Great West Door to greet five different faith leaders – another precedent.

To save time, they all recited a blessing together. A momentous step to encourage different religions to feel a spiritual and even fundamental unity.

And there was an extra: so as not to embarrass the chief rabbi, no microphones were used (they are also forbidden on Shabbos).

After that, the king was glad that Rabbi Mirvis returned to Clarence House and remained there until the appearance of three stars in the sky announcing that the Sabbath was over.

The Chief Rabbi then performed Havdalah, a short ceremony to mark the end of the Sabbath, with song, sweet-smelling spices, wine, and the lighting and extinguishing of a woven candle with at least three wicks to celebrate the diversity of the Jewish people in unity. intertwined.

This wasn’t the first time Charles extended the hand of friendship.

In September, the King had moved the time of a reception at Buckingham Palace following his mother’s death to earlier on the Friday so that the Chief Rabbi could return to his local synagogue before Shabbat.

Jewish days begin at nightfall, and I am told that the chief rabbi’s staff was stunned at “the astonishing gesture.”

The chief rabbi played his own role behind the scenes and, for example, ensured that the holy oil for the anointing, which was brought from just outside Jerusalem, was consecrated.

He, too, was obliged to stand up to critics.

Rabbi Mirvis pointed out that a 1970s ruling by London’s Beth Din, the Orthodox rabbinic court, allows rabbis to attend Christian religious ceremonies if their presence is requested by the monarch.

In this case it certainly was.

King Charles meets Rabbi Mirvis at a reception for faith leaders following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The reception was specially timed to allow the Chief Rabbi to leave on Friday evening before the start of the Sabbath

After the coronation, the chief rabbi told the Jewish Chronicle that “our every need was met.”

And to an American television network, the humble rabbi Mirvis said: ‘Certainly it was quite surreal and for us (his wife) it was a great privilege, but we were aware that this was not for ourselves at a certain moment . personal level, but it was recognition given to Jews and to Judaism, of which we are the representatives, and I share these details because our community should know the deep respect shown to us.”

A rare – and much needed – glimmer of hope in difficult times.