Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, May His Memory Be a Blessing
The Fellowship | November 9, 2020
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, held a special place in the hearts of many, both for his wisdom and his faith. His words, often quoted by both Rabbi Eckstein and Yael, always proved both enlightening and erudite. Rabbi Sacks, The Jerusalem Post’s Jeremy Sharon reports, passed away this weekend after a battle with cancer:
Rabbi Sacks served as the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013, succeeding Immanuel Jakobovits. He was succeeded by the current chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis.
Before being appointed as chief rabbi of the UK in 1993, Sacks served as principal of Jews’ College, now the London School of Jewish Studies, and rabbi of the prestigious Marble Arch Synagogue in Central London.
During his time as chief rabbi, Sacks became an ambassador for the Jewish community in the UK and was respected by many in UK Jewry and in the non-Jewish world as well.
He was widely seen as a voice of morality and ethical integrity, and his positions and opinions were frequently sought by the British media on crucial issues of the day, including in a regular column in The Times newspaper, and as guest on current affairs TV and radio shows.
Sacks wrote numerous books on Jewish thought, tolerance, extremism, a commentary on the weekly Torah portion, commentaries on Jewish liturgy, and more, as well as producing documentaries series.
In a 2015 interview with The Jerusalem Post, Sacks highlighted what he described as the ongoing importance and centrality of Israel to the Jewish people as a whole whether living in the Jewish state or in the Diaspora.
“Whenever we come here [to Israel], which is frequently, we see the passion, energy and creativity of the most remarkable small nation on the face of the earth,” he said…