Queen Elizabeth II of England will award one of the UK’s
highest civilian honors to Isaac Schapira, an ultra-Orthodox Rabbi.
Schapira, the son of the late United Torah Judaism party
leader Rabbi Abraham Yosef Schapira, will be given the Officer of the Most
Excellent Order of the British Empire award for “strengthening the ties between
the UK and the Haredi community,” the British embassy said in a press release
Tuesday.
The prize, one of the UK’s highest government honors given
to civilians and non-British citizens, is to be awarded at an upcoming Buckingham
Palace ceremony by the queen. The award will not grant the use of the honorific
“sir” before Schapira’s name.
Schapira said he was “deeply honored” to receive the award,
which he said showed “a great respect for our community.”
“I have been proud to witness for myself the British
government’s warmth and supportive attitude toward our community,” he added.
Schapira has “helped us build a friendship and understanding
between Britain and the Haredi community,” British Ambassador to Israel Matthew
Gould said, and noted that Schapira has devoted “many years” to helping a
series of British ambassadors build “friendship and understanding” with the
ultra-Orthodox community, a “vital and important part of Israeli society.”
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