Prince Charles’ heartfelt letter ahead of London funeral for Shoah victims
Heir to the throne offers his condolences and pledges never to forget victims in letter to the Chief Rabbi
Prince Charles has sent his “heartfelt condolences” ahead of an unprecedented London funeral this weekend for six victims of Auschwitz.
The heir-to-the-throne, who is Patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, wrote to Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis on Wednesday after hearing how the remains of six people were to be buried after being recently identified within a clod of earth taken from Auschwitz by a visiting survivor years ago.
“I just wanted to write to say how moved I was to hear about the arrangements being made to provide a dignified and final rest to six victims of the Holocaust,” he wrote.
“It appears that, tragically, we will never know their names, the family and community who nurtured them, nor the kind of lives they lived before their imprisonment and murder. Yet we can say with certainty that, along with millions of other victims of the Shoah, they were denied their very humanity.”
He continued: “I can think of no better tribute to them than to restore a semblance of that humanity with a traditional funeral, attended by so many people who are committed to keeping their memory alive.
“I am so sorry not to be able to join you for this unique act of memorial, but I would be grateful if you could convey to the Jewish community my most heartfelt condolences. May you find comfort in our collective resolve to ensure that we never forget them.”
The victims, who will be buried at Bushey New Cemetery during a special ceremony due to start at 11.30, were identified from a piece of earth held in the archives at the Imperial War Museum, where pathologists determined the remains of six people, including one child.
United Synagogue president Michael Goldstein has said their burial will be “the ultimate act of kindness” as hundreds are expected to take part in the unique event.
The Chief Rabbi said the victims “will now be afforded the dignity of a Jewish funeral within the loving embrace of our community, something which was denied to them and so many others during the course of the Shoah”.
The United Synagogue Burial Society collected the remains of the victims from the Imperial War Museum on Wednesday and transferred them to the cemetery where they will be in the mortuary ahead of being prepared for burial on Sunday.
There was a small ceremony in the presence of senior museum officials. Rabbi Nicky Liss, chair of the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue, said: “Jewish people carry with us all the fragments of our past. What our enemies killed we keep alive in our minds, our memories and our memorial prayers.”
United Synagogue officials also revealed this week that Sunday’s service would be live-streamed from 11am for those who could not attend.
Read more:
- First ever UK funeral for Holocaust victims to take place next week
- Voice of the Jewish News: At peace – at last
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
