Seven head boys and girls from local Jewish schools paid tribute to the Queen, describing what her legacy of service and duty meant to them and their peers.
Over 1,000 people attended the memorial service for the late Queen (Photo by Blake Ezra via United Synagogue)
In her address, Theresa May paid tribute to the late Queen, regaling the congregation with anecdotes from trips to Balmoral, meetings with foreign leaders, and speaking poignantly about Her Majesty's leadership and what faith meant to her.
She said: "As we mourn her loss, we remember in our thoughts and prayers King Charles III, and the whole royal family. And as you pray for the royal family, each week in synagogues up and down the country and beyond, now with the words, may He bless our Sovereign Lord King Charles and all the royal family."
She described the late Queen as the most "remarkable" person she had ever met, describing her "selfless devotion to duty and a lifetime of service", adding: "She had pledged that service to her people when she was 21 years old. How many 21-year-olds today would be able to give that lifetime commitment?"
Recalling a visit to Balmoral with her husband, Philip May, the former prime minister prompted laughter from the audience, saying: "Philip and I enjoy walking and did a number of walks across the estate. There was one occasion when the Duke of Edinburgh had recommended a long, long, long walk to us. We set off not realising how long it was going to be.
"I'm told that the Queen and the Duke had a discussion after we set off as to whether he should have recommended it. She was concerned for her guests, and she ensured that someone followed us at a discreet distance to make sure we were okay."
Theresa May among the congregation at St John's Wood United Synagogue (Photo by Blake Ezra via United Synagogue)
She recalled another evening at Balmoral: "We were being driven by the Queen to one of the famous barbecues. We were on an estate road and came to our gate where our way was barred by a very large stag. The Queen slammed on the brakes and said, 'what's he doing here?'
"Now to any of us as drivers, that would have meant, 'why is he in my way?' But not to Her Majesty. She knew the animal should have been far higher up on the hillside and was worried about what had brought him down so low."
Lady May also spoke about the importance of faith in the late Queen's life: "While her strong Christian faith upheld and guided her throughout her life, that while she had a strong Christian faith, more than that she believed in the importance of faith, that guidance from above that provides a strong framework and values for life. And crucially, the difference between right and wrong. And in that she recognised the value of other faiths. What was important was to have a faith. And I think we can all be grateful to her for her increasing references to the importance of faith in recent years."
Closing her tribute, Lady May said: "Queen Elizabeth II was our longest serving monarch, respected around the world. A woman of service, duty, dignity, grace, wisdom, humour, and yes, faith. She was truly remarkable, and I doubt we will ever see her like again."
AJEX National Chairman Dan Fox had the honour of placing the Union Jack Standard at half-mast during the memorial. He was accompanied by four members of the serving Jewish community.
The service opened with music from the children's choir, and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis delivered the memorial address after reciting the special prayer he wrote in Her Majesty's honour.
A children’s choir from Sacks Morasha Primary School opened the service (Photo by Blake Ezra via United Synagogue)
He opened by recounting how now-King Charles attended his installation: "I recall the moment so vividly when I stood on this pulpit nine months ago at this very time of the year to address the community at the service of my installation. And King Charles was sitting in the box right in front of me. He had broken off his summer holidays in Scotland to fly down to London, specially for this occasion, in order to extend to us his blessings, and very best wishes."
Paying tribute to the late Queen, the Chief Rabbi said: "In stature, Queen Elizabeth II was head and shoulders above all other world leaders and we are so immensely proud of the fact that our queen, our monarch was such a remarkable role model for all of humankind."
"The Queen did not only wear the crown of royalty, she wore another crown as well.
"The first three crowns are all hereditary: royalty, the priesthood, Torah, automatically passing from one to the other, from generation to generation, but not so, however, the crown of a good name. It's non-transferable. It's something that you have to earn and deserve for yourself.
The Chief Rabbi delivering the memorial address for the late Queen (Photo by Blake Ezra via United Synagogue)
"But the reason why there is such depth of anguish and sorrow for Her Majesty the Queen is not so much because of her impressive titles and the fact that she wore the crown of royalty, it's because she wore the crown of a good name."
He went on to describe the late Queen as having a "heart of gold" and an "exceptional mind", and closed by calling on those gathered to honour her legacy: "The ultimate tribute that we can pay to the memory of our Queen is through contributing towards a better world, a more peaceful world, a more harmonious world."
After the service, Theresa May was greeted by the congregation thanking her for her words and for joining the Jewish community in memorialising the late Queen.
Lady May told the JC: "It was an honour to attend the service at St John's Wood synagogue and to mark the death of the late Her Majesty with the Jewish community.
"It was a very moving event in which we remembered the remarkable life of Queen Elizabeth II and thanked her for the duty and service she gave to us all, unwaveringly, throughout her reign."
