The JC received an unexpected namecheck on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day slot on Tuesday morning — when Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis used the paper’s Purim spiel to illustrate his message about the story of the festival.

In last week's edition of the JC (3 March, page 6), reporter Esther Bloch wrote that King Charles was set to be anointed with beth din-certified oil made from Israeli olives at his coronation in May.

The report added that the oil would be sourced from the Haman Organic Olive Farm in Israel’s Lower Galilee region, and that the Chief Rabbi had been in close talks with the Palace about the historic decision as part of King Charles III’s efforts to be seen as the defender of all faiths.

GettyImages-1243282331

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis meeting His Majesty The King at a reception in September 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II (Photo by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool / Getty Images)

But this morning, the Chief Rabbi told listeners to the Today programme: “Last week, readers of the Jewish Chronicle were surprised by a news report that King Charles is to be anointed with a rare brand of kosher-approved oil at his coronation in May. The article explains that the oil has been carefully sourced from an organic olive farm in the lower Galilee — in close consultation with my office”.

The chief rabbi said, with a smile in his voice: “It’s a lovely story — or at least it would be, if it were true. In reality the oil is coming from the Mount of Olives and has been consecrated by Christian faith leaders in Jerusalem”.

Sir Ephraim then went on to explain the tradition of the Purim spiel in Jewish newspapers, or practical joke, “allowing readers to have a bit of fun, debating what is satire, and what is real news”. A major theme of the festival, he suggested, was “the importance of revealing the hidden”.

The JC, as ever, is happy to play its part in this respect.

READ MORE: Holy oil for King Charles coronation blessed in Jerusalem