If I had lived in England in 1066 (the earliest recorded presence of Jewish people in Britain) under the rule of William the Conqueror, I would have been called a “ward of the crown” and considered the legal property of the Royal estate.

If I had lived in England in 1144, I would have lived (or died) through the first blood libel in history, when a 12-year-old boy named William was found murdered in Norwich, and his death was deemed—by an anti-Semitic monk named Thomas of Monmouth—a ritual murder performed by Jews.

If I had walked the streets of my neighborhood in 1275 under the rule of King Edward I, I would have had to wear an identifying yellow badge on my clothing, depicting two stone tablets representing the Ten Commandments, marking me as an alien presence among the Christian population.

Fifteen years later, my life would have been upended by the royal edict, initiated by parliament, expelling every last Jew from England by November 1, 1290, many of whom were killed by opportunistic sea captains who were after their last remaining possessions.

Yet here I sit, penning these reflections from the security and comfort of our Chabad House, located on the very same street as Buckingham Palace, the seat and symbol of the British Empire.

Had I sat in this very location on the third of September 1189, when Richard the Lionheart was crowned King, my life would most certainly have been in danger.

For on that tragic occasion, interpreting the king’s courtiers’ flogging of Jewish leaders who came bearing gifts as an order to attack all Jews, arsonists set fire to many Jewish homes, numerous Jews were forcibly converted, and some thirty innocent Jews were senselessly murdered, including Rabbi Yaakov of Orléans, the most senior rabbi in England at the time.

And yet, this past Shabbat, during the coronation of King Charles III, instead of hiding in fear, our congregation gathered to celebrate our heritage in confidence and joy.

Instead of the terrifying sounds of a frenzied mob out for Jewish blood, the splendid sounds of the Royal procession—hoofbeats, drums, flyover, and all—mingled with the sound of our heartfelt prayers of gratitude to the Almighty for the safety and freedoms we are blessed to enjoy in this country, graced by a king who doesn’t merely tolerate but celebrates our people and all peoples.

Praising the Jewish community at a pre-Chanukah reception at the palace, King Charles said: “In every walk of life, in every field of endeavor, our nation could have had no more generous citizens, and no more faithful friends.”

The king was also the first senior member of the royal family to visit Israel and shared a close relationship with the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, calling him “a trusted guide, an inspired teacher and a true and steadfast friend.”

Notably, in 1994, then Prince Charles said that when he would become king he would vow to be a “defender of faiths,” rather than taking the traditional vow to be a “defender of the faith.”

The king's attitude and genuine commitment to inclusion was made evident in the fact that for the very first time in history, faith leaders from all of Britain's major religions were included in the coronation ceremony which has traditionally been a solely Christian service.

Indeed, in order to accommodate Shabbat, the King and Queen invited Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and his wife to be their guests in St. James Palace over Shabbat, and during the ceremony no microphones were placed before the Chief Rabbi out of respect for Jewish tradition.

The Shehecheyanu prayer Jewish people say to mark special occasions thanks G‑d for enabling us to reach zeman hazeh," usually translated as “this moment.”

However, it can also mean “this era.”

And, hence, when I observed our new king during the procession that once struck fear in Jewish hearts, I thanked G‑d not only for bringing me to this moment in time, but for allowing me to live at this time in history, when the values of human dignity, inclusion, respect and unity first articulated by the Biblical prophets are becoming manifest before our eyes.