British Jewry joined today in paying tribute to King George V at services held on the occasion of his funeral.
Tributes to the late king were voiced at a meeting of the Jewish Agency for Palestine by Dr. Nahum Sokolow, Prof. Selig Brodetsky and Robert Solomon.
Dr. J.H.Hertz, chief rabbi of the British Empire, presiding at a solemn memorial service in the Great Synagogue at Aldgate, eulogized the late monarch as a “simple, sincere straightforward gentleman, a great king, a good man and a typical Briton who stood for fair play in international relations.”
Dr. Hertz added that “he had the Britons’ horror of all cruelty and persecution, whether racial or religious.” Others who took part in the services were Lionel de Rothschild, Lord Swaythling and Sir Robert Waley-Cohen.
Before the services, Mr. de Rothschild, addressing a special meeting of the United Synagogue Council, of which he is president, declared that although the late Kingis” high position prevented him from expressing openly the horror he felt at the atrocities against the Jews of Germany, yet I know his sympathy was with them.
“He was pleased that his country could take its share in lessening their burden and open its hospitality as far as could be done without interfering with the welfare of his subjects,” he said.
Moving a resolution of condolence, Mr. de Rothschild stated that King George was a personal friend of all his subjects and that he was always friendly to the Jews.
The resolution expressed the sympathy of the members of the United Synagogue with King George’s family and extended greetings to King Edward VIII, wishing him a happy and prosperous reign.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
