All at the Council of Christians and Jews mourn the passing of our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen. CCJ staff, Trustees and members join the Royal Family in mourning this tremendous loss.

The death of HM The Queen is a loss that is keenly felt by Britain’s Christian and Jewish communities. She has been a beacon of understanding and tolerance in British society between different faith and ethnic groups.

At CCJ, we were privileged to have her as our Patron since 1952, making us one of the first charities to which Her Majesty pledged her support. Through this role and more widely, she conveyed a deep sense of the importance of interfaith relations, inspired by her own Christian faith. This fundamental message was often communicated in her Christmas broadcasts, which so sincerely conveyed a Christian message and at the same time had a more universal appeal, across the boundaries of faiths and nations.

On the many occasions that HM the Queen supported CCJ’s work, she expressed her personal endorsement of endeavours to improve relationships between people of different faiths in her diverse kingdom. Her Majesty generously hosted annual receptions for CCJ Presidents and members in the 1980s and ‘90s, and was a special guest at CCJ's 70th anniversary celebration in 2011. All these occasions are remembered warmly by those who attended.

We at CCJ are deeply grateful to Her Majesty for the service she gave to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and particularly to relationships between Jews and Christians. We are confident that her legacy of faith, duty and hope will inspire all of us to do more to strengthen our country’s community of faiths.

We pray for the memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and pass on our sincere condolences to HM The King along with the entire Royal Family; and we pray for HM The King as he begins his reign.