The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, on behalf of the Jewish Community in Scotland and together with other Jewish Communities in the UK and the Commonwealth, joins in mourning the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. We offer our deepest sympathy on her sad passing to the new King, His Majesty, Charles III, and all the Royal Family.

We recall with gratitude Her late Majesty's kindnesses to the Jewish Community, and her own strong personal faith. As Supreme Governor of the Church of England, she stated that "the Church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country", and commented that all religions provide "critical guidance for the way we live our lives, and the way we treat each other".

We remember the commitment, wisdom, and dignity with which she led this nation for more than 70 years in times of hardship and prosperity, and we pray that these qualities will be a light and a guide for her successors. We pray, in the words composed by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis for Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee, that the new King and his ministers and counsellors be granted wisdom and understanding, so that they and we may live together in justice and peace, and walk together in the paths of unity, freedom, and harmony.

We pray that Her memory will be a comfort and a blessing for the new King, for the Royal Family, for the nation, and for the Jewish Community.