MY SITE
The King and I5/14/2023 --by Rabbi Shoshana About thirty people attended our 11:00 am Shabbat morning service either in-person or over Zoom at Birmingham Progressive Synagogue on May 6. This represented a slight dip in attendance from recent weeks, when I’ve been gratified to see as many as fifty either in the sanctuary or joining us from their homes. Still, considering the competition for their attention that morning, thirty was quite a fantastic effort, and many more people that I’d been expecting. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you would have noticed that the start of service corresponded with the start of the coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey. I was very touched that so many BPS members had chosen to spend their Shabbat morning at synagogue rather than glued to their televisions. The idea of the monarchy rankles me both as an American and an Australian. I don’t recall being raised with a particular anti-monarchist bent. I think it’s just something many Americans imbibe along with the Pledge of Allegiance. I moved my family to Australia in 2006, and my older son became a Cub Scout that same year. How surprised I was when he was asked to swear an oath to the Queen of Australia! In Australia, the queen was a benign, distant figure who appeared on our money and served as an excuse for everything to be called Royal: the Royal Service for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or the Royal Flying Doctors Service. Of course, as an Australian I’m also aware that the actual head of the country is the Governor-General, who serves at the pleasure of the British monarch. I’m also aware that, in 1975, the then GG used his powers to dissolve the dysfunctional Australian parliament and dismiss the prime minister. I’ve been amused to learn as a third-generation American Democrat, that I’m also a republican—someone who believes that Australia should eventually move towards becoming a republic without an allegiance to the British monarch. On my first Shabbat at Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, I turned to the prayers at the end of the Torah service, in which we ask for God’s blessings for our community, for the nation and for the State of Israel. I saw that I was expected to offer a prayer for “Our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth and the whole royal family.” I appreciated that this prayer was sadly out-of-date, but I wasn’t sure I knew what the appropriate updated wording would be. The congregation, happily, read the prayer together for the benefit of “Our Sovereign Lord, King Charles.” I have been joining them in the prayer ever since, although it still feels very odd to do so. I also found the symbolism of the coronation odd—especially the explicitly religious and Christian tone of it. I was troubled by the idea that God had personally chosen King Charles as king, as demonstrated by the crown placed on his head by the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England. Inviting leaders of other faith traditions to bring their own blessings didn’t do much to mollify me. Of course, I wish King Charles all the very best, but to me that doesn’t equate with the idea that God has personally blessed him as opposed to the rest of us. However, I must confess that I have participated in just a little bit of coronation cheer. On Monday 1 May, which is a public holiday in the UK, I visited the Bristol Cathedral. The found that the place was absolutely packed full of people on hand to attend an event called “Sing for the King.” A choir of 650 voices had been assembled to sing the best-known coronation anthem “Zadok the Priest” to honour the 650 years since the church had seen its status raised to that of a cathedral. It so happens that I learned “Zadok the Priest” way back in high school and still remembered it well. I approached a fellow soprano to ask if I could look on her music with her, and she readily agreed. Once we had belted out the song, we stood for an hour as various choirs sang through the rest of George Handel’s coronation anthems, and then we sang “Zadok the Priest” again. It was honestly one of the most joyful experiences I can remember, and I’m still amazed that I just happened to be there on that particular occasion.
The following Sunday, the day after the coronation, I attended the evensong service at St. Philip’s Cathedral here in Birmingham. I have enjoyed evensong services on numerous occasions since I’ve been in the UK and especially have loved rediscovering the rich British choral tradition. On this occasion, the cathedral was relatively full for a special service in honour of the coronation. A number of local dignitaries were on hand as well, and the music was absolutely splendid. Of course, the choir sang “Zadok the Priest!” At the end of the service, we all rose and sang the updated British national anthem “God Save the King.” I suppose if Americans can sing a national anthem nearly entirely dedicated to praise of a particular flag, the British can sing a song which never speaks about the welfare of anyone living here but the king. Although the melody is terribly dreary, at least the Australian national anthem does talk about Australians! Despite my reservations about “God Save the King,” it was a really beautiful hour of music and prayer, and I’m glad that I got to be there for the experience. The priests in residence were happy to have their photos taken afterwards, relieved that the weeks of preparation and hard work for the event were over. And now we all carry on with our lives, which for me means only two more weeks left in this fascinating city!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.Rabbi Shoshana Kaminsky has been the rabbi of Beit Shalom in Adelaide, South Australia for the last sixteen years. She's very happy to be serving Birmingham Progressive Synagogue for the next three months.
] ArchivesCategories |