OPINION: Even as the Queen reduced duties, she wanted to know how Norwood was faring
Lord Jon Mendelsohn reflects on long-time commitment of the charity's Royal patron and her fascination with Jewish communities of the Commonwealth
The sad passing of Her Majesty the Queen has been accompanied by the most moving tributes and profound expressions of grief, affection and reverence. In a lifetime of noble and remarkable service the Commonwealth and its Jewish communities have much to be appreciative for.
In its participation in the work of Commonwealth institutions, the Commonwealth Jewish Council has seen the unique qualities bestowed to Her Majesty and how she ushered new life into its work. There is no greater tribute to the significance of her impact than the recent additions of new members in the Commonwealth which had no historic relationship to Britain.
We were always grateful to Her Majesty for her involvement and encouragement with the Commonwealth Jewish Council and for the honour in being hosted by her. She was profoundly interested in the breadth of the Jewish presence and contribution to the Commonwealth. In the late nineties on a visit to India she went to see the ancient synagogue in Cochin and returned with an even more profound sense of the journey of the Jews across the globe.
As the Patron of Norwood, she was always a devoted supporter and constant source of encouragement to its work. She would regularly send messages to its events and, less well known, would privately keep an interest in its work and be regularly briefed by her Private Secretaries. Even as she was still reducing her commitments, she was always keen to help. When the pandemic hit, she was interested in how we were responding and whether we were coping. She graciously made the Buckingham Palace social media sites available for us to have a campaign day.
In a recent message sent for one of our annual dinners, she made a particular point to stress the length of the Royal Household’s connection. She wrote: “My family’s association with Norwood began over two hundred years ago when Prince Augustus Frederick, the then Duke of Sussex, became Patron of the charity.”
Amongst her expressions of thanks to the charity and its beneficiaries, staff and supporters this point is always to my mind the most moving and poignant. As our most beloved rock that has helped our nation through tough times, brought stability, and as our beloved monarch always shown kindness, dignity and the importance of service. All of this has been done with a great connection to the past and a firm view about the future.
Whether it has been through the Commonwealth or with her family’s connection to our community we have much to mourn with her loss, an overwhelming sense of gratitude for what she has done for us.
We already know and have come to appreciate the connection that our new King has had with our community and the Commonwealth Jewish communities. We wish His Majesty and the whole Royal Family our most heartfelt condolences.
- Lord Mendelsohn is chair of the Commonwealth Jewish Council and President of Norwood
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