Over the past two years, plant-based food consumption has grown by 49% across the EU, reaching a total sales volume of €3.6 billion.
Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth
2025-05-15
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis is the 11th Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. He is the only 11th Chief Rabbi to hold the office since the office was introduced in 1704. On September 1, 2013, Chief Rabbi Mirvis was installed in a historic ceremony attended by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the first time a member of the Royal Family had attended the installation of a Chief Rabbi. Chief Rabbi Mirvis was awarded the Order of Merit.
Background and Education
Chief Rabbi Mirvis was born in 1956 into a South African rabbinical family and attended Herzlia High School in Cape Town (1968–1973), Yeshivat Kerem Be Yavne (1973–1976), and Yeshivat Har Etzion (1976–1978). He received his rabbinic ordination from Machon Ariel, Jerusalem (1978–80) and a bachelor's degree in education and classical Hebrew from the University of South Africa. He also received certification as a high school teacher in Israel from the Yaacov Herzog Teachers College.
Public positions
Chief Rabbi Mirvis has held educational and social positions in Israel, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. He was Chief Rabbi of Ireland from 1984 to 1992, a position previously held by Lord Jakobovits, and Rabbi of Western Marble Arch Cathedral of London from 1992 to 1996, a position previously held by Lord Sacks. In 1996, Chief Rabbi Mirvis was ordained as Senior Rabbi of Finchley United Church (known as Kinloss), a position he held until becoming Chief Rabbi in 2013.
Chief Rabbi Mirvis has earned the distinction of being one of the most respected rabbis in British society. In Finchley, he inspired the community and established pioneering educational initiatives such as the Kinloss Learning Centre (KLC). He is also the Honorary Headmaster and founding rabbi of Morasha Jewish Primary School in Finchley, and the founder and president of the Kinloss Community Kollel. Chief Rabbi Mirvis transformed the Finchley community into a vibrant center for educational, social, cultural, and religious activities, becoming the fastest-growing Jewish community in the UK.
Belief
From 1985 to 1992, Chief Rabbi Mirvis served as President of the Irish Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ). He participated in dialogues with church leaders at Windsor Castle and Lambeth Palace in England. In 2005, he convened a CCJ meeting of Church of England bishops.
Chief Rabbi Mirvis was the first rabbi of the United Synagogue to hold a conference of imams at the Dr. Mohammed Essam El-Din Fahim synagogue. He also led a delegation of his community members to the Finchley Mosque.
Other Activities
As Chief Rabbi of Ireland from 1984 to 1992, Chief Rabbi Mirvis represented the Jewish community in government, other faith groups, and the media. As Chairman of the Irish National Council of Soviet Jewry (1984–1992), he advocated for the freedom of Soviet Jews.
Chief Rabbi Mirvis currently serves as Vice President of the European Conference of Rabbis. He previously served on the Council of Directors of the European Conference of Rabbis. He was appointed Chief Rabbi of the Cabinet in 1996 and was Chairman of the Rabbinical Council of a synagogue from 1999 to 2002.
In 2012, Chief Rabbi Mirvis ordained the first female halachic counselor (Yoetzet Halacha) in the UK at Finchley Synagogue.
Chief Rabbi Mirvis is interested in music and has studied phonology in Jerusalem and chazanut (Jewish choral conductor). He is also a trained Shochet (expert in circumcision) by a Mohel (circumcision practitioner).
family
Chief Rabbi Mirvis' wife, Valerie, was a senior child protection social worker who worked for many years on the front lines of local authority work. The Chief Rabbi and Mrs. Mirvis' eldest son, Liora Graham, died in 2011 after a long battle with cancer. They are survived by four sons, Hillel, Daniel, Noam, and Eitan; a son-in-law, Jonathan; two daughters-in-law, Melanie and Althea; and six grandchildren.