UK Shuls to mark coronation with bunting and Victoria sponge Kiddush - The Jewish Chronicle

Shuls around the country will have the bunting up and Victoria sponges out for the kiddush as they mark the coronation with prayers for the new king.

While Orthodox synagogues will be unable to show the proceedings at Westminster Abbey, they will be marking the royal occasion in other ways.

A new melody for Adon Olam, composed by Immanuel College director of music Stephen Levey, has been commissioned by The United Synagogue.

The premiere of the new version of the hymn featured a choir of 200 schoolchildren, with Levey saying: “We hope that this new adaptation will bring joy and inspiration to all who hear it.”

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis has produced a 12-page booklet to be used during services, which includes verses from the Hallel — traditionally sung on festivals — and a special prayer for the monarch to be said in addition to the weekly Prayer for the Royal Family.

Marie van der Zyl

The prayer begins: “Eternal God, who laid the foundations of the Earth and fixed its dimensions, whose presence dwells with all creation, we stand together at this solemn and historic hour to celebrate the coronation of a new King, Charles III.”

It goes on: “We ask You, O God, to sustain and support the King’s service to this nation, to the realms and to the Commonwealth; endow him with righteousness that he may do justly.

“Let him champion the lowly among the people, deliver the needy and rebuke those who wrong them.

“May he foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely.” Rabbi Paul Freedman of Radlett Reform Synagogue has also prepared a short prayer for Reform communities, while the cantor, Sarah Grabiner, has recorded the National Anthem in Hebrew.

Rabbi Alexandra Wright of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, St Johns’ Wood, has also written a special prayer, and The Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations has asked synagogues to include a prayer for the monarch this week.

Rabbi Miriam Berger, of Finchley Reform Synagogue, and her 12-year-old son Ben have been busy all week preparing versions of Rule Britannia and the National Anthem for the liturgy.

She hopes the service will make her congregation feel part of the wider event.