MELVILLE, New York — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 96, having reigned for 70 years. She is being mourned around the world, including by members of the British Jewish community. According to Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, “Her affection for the Jewish people ran deep, and her respect for our values was palpable.” In 2005, the Queen bestowed knighthood on Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi. In that same year, Queen Elizabeth met with a group of Holocaust survivors at St. James’s Palace, where according to Rabbi Sacks, she remained long beyond her scheduled appointment (very unusual for the Queen) in order to spend time hearing the stories of each of the survivors. The Queen was criticized, however, in 1996 on an official visit to Poland, because she did not visit Auschwitz. She also received criticism on that visit for not referencing the Polish Jews who had suffered under Nazi occupation in a speech she gave to the Polish Parliament. What was the official explanation for this omission?
B. According to officials at Buckingham Palace, the omission was a “typographical error.”
C. According to the Queen, “My remarks today were intended to be non-political.”
D. According to Queen Elizabeth’s Press Secretary “This event was a joyous occasion that Her Majesty did not wish to mar with references to that tragic time.”
E. According to a spokesman from Buckingham Palace, “Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl but she doesn’t have a lot to say.”