In a historic step, His Royal Highness Prince William visited Israel accompanied by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. During his time here, Chief Rabbi Mirvis joined MK Dr. Aliza Lavie in a private meeting at the Knesset. Both recognized the Prince’s visit and the Chief Rabbi’s accompaniment as a step in the right direction for strong relations between the United Kingdom and Israel and and both discussed the need to further ties between the two countries.
As the chair of the Lobby for the State of Israel and the Lobby on Religion and State, MK Lavie is dedicated to bolstering Israel’s relationship with Diaspora Jewry, especially with the Jewish community in the United Kingdom. Part of this endeavor includes an effort to recognize Jews of different levels of observance. In this context, Chief Rabbi Mervis and MK Lavie discussed the need to unite the Rabbinic leaders around the world on the status of conversions.
Additionally, MK Lavie stressed the importance of confronting the growing anti-Semitism that plagues the UK. MK Lavie believes it is the responsibility of the Jewish state to champion this fight and to ensure that Jews living in the Diaspora feel comfortable in their homeland. The meeting began and ended with messages of positivity.
The UK is a great friend of Israel and both Chief Rabbi Mirvis and MK Dr. Lavie look forward to building on this momentum.