Rabbis and Imams send joint card to Queen for 90th birthday

A specially commissioned birthday card was delivered to Her Majesty the Queen by Jewish and Muslim faith leaders last week.

Presented at St James’s Palace, the framed message written by a calligrapher to celebrate the Monarch’s historic 90th birthday was signed by 24 senior rabbis and Imams.

The card wished for God to grant the Queen “long life and continue to increase You in wisdom and love for all your loyal people”, following her birthday on 21 April.

Produced by the Joseph Interfaith Foundation’s National Council of Imams & Rabbis, it was received by Bishop to the Monarch, James Newcome, and, Rev Canon Paul Wright, Sub-Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal.

Among those from the Jewish community who signed were Rabbis Dayan Ivan Binstock, Liberal Judaism’s Danny Rich, Alexandra Wright and Masorti Judaism’s Jonathan Wittenberg.

Executive Director of The Joseph Interfaith Foundation, Mehri Niknam said they were  “honoured to have organised this project on behalf of its National Council of Imams and Rabbis. Ten senior Imams and Rabbis represented the 25 members of the Council, the only such religious council which is recognised by the Jewish and Muslim communities.”

Bishop Newcome said the “beautiful card is an excellent example of interfaith cooperation and community cohesion. I congratulate the Foundation and the National Council of Imams and Rabbis for this initiative which is much appreciated. I am sure Her Majesty will be very happy to see this card.”

The National Council of Imams and Rabbis was set up in 2010, and comprises 25 senior faith leaders from communities across the country.