Jewish subjects of the crown–and North American celebrity onlookers–are giddy about the imminent royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. They may be interested in the snub list from the last crown wedding:
ISRAEL WILL BE REPRESENTED AT THE ROYAL WEDDING (July 29, 1981)
LONDON — Anglo-Jewry is as excited by the event as any other section of the population. Beginning next Saturday, the statutory weekly prayer for the Queen will be amended to contain a reference to the Princess of Wales, the new title of Prince Charles’ bride.
Israel will be represented at tomorrow’s wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer by Ambassador and Mrs. Shlomo Argov. Many other countries will be represented by heads of state or government. But Israel’s head of state was not invited, it is believed, because Israel is not a monarchy, or a member of the Commonwealth, the European Economic Community or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
There will be no official representative of the Anglo-Jewish community at the ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits is one of a number of non-Christian spiritual leaders who did not receive an invitation because the wedding is a private rather than a state occasion. The Chief Rabbi’s office denies that it feels Jakobovits has been snubbed.
Sigh. At least William and Kate will have a ketubah.
In case you’re wondering… the current chief rabbi (Lord Jonathan Sacks), plus two other rabbis (Anthony Bayfield and Alan Plancey), made the list this time around.
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