Here is an amazing true story that few people are aware of. It’s also a secret that even fewer people knew. And, it’s the unforgettable account of when the Shotzer Rebbe of London met face-to-face with King George VI. This was the momentous meeting that saved the life of the future Queen Elizabeth.

Epilepsy and the Royal Family

Epilepsy was in the genes of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth’s uncle Prince John, the youngest son of King George V, died at age 13 from a severe seizure. That was in 1918.

Let’s fast-forward to 1939. Now, King George VI was deathly afraid that his 13-year-old daughter Elizabeth would meet the same fate as his brother Prince John.

The Kindertransport

That same year, the Jewish Agency was organizing the famous Kindertransport (German for “children’s transport”). This was the rescue effort of children from Nazi-controlled territory. It took place during the nine months prior to the outbreak of the World War II in September of 1939. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. This initiative encountered strong resistance from certain British circles.

The Chief Rabbi of England at the time was Rabbi Joseph Herman Hertz. He decided to intercede on behalf of the Kindertransport, so he visited King George VI together with the holy tzaddik, The Shotzer Rebbe of London, Grand Rabbi Shalom Moscowitz, osb”m.

The Rebbe’s Blessing

King George VI never saw such an illuminated countenance as that of the Shotzer Rebbe. He asked for a blessing for his daughter, who was 13 at the time, and suffering from epileptic seizures. “Please, might the Rebbe pray that my daughter will live.”

The Rebbe answered unequivocally, “If Your Majesty will assure that the Kindertransport is approved, and thereby save Jewish children, then undoubtedly measure for measure, the princess will not only live, but her ailment will disappear altogether.”

The King was deeply moved. The Kindertransport began immediately and the princess – later to be Queen Elizabeth II who passed away at the ripe old age of 96 on September 8, 2022 – was miraculously cured immediately.

Rabbi Lazer Brody’s teacher and spiritual guide, Grand Rabbi Naftali Moscowitz shlit’a, aka the “Melitzer Rebbe of Ashdod,” is the grandson of The Shotzer Rebbe of London, Grand Rabbi Shalom Moscowitz, osb”m. Recently, Rabbi Lazer visited the holy gravesite of the Shotzer Rebbe at  the Adath Yisroel Cemetery in Enfield, outside of London, and prayed for all of our readers, subscribers and supporters.