The Rabbi Sacks Legacy

Today is Rosh Chodesh Nissan – just two weeks before Pesach. This is when the real preparation starts. Not just cleaning our homes, but asking: what story are we about to tell, and what story are we living right now? Rabbi Sacks, in his Haggadah, writes that Judaism is built on memory – not as history, but as something we pass on: “We are what we remember.” For Rabbi Sacks, memory was about identity – who we are, because of the story we tell, and whether we take responsibility for passing it on. In Israel this year, that message feels closer to home. We’re not only preparing to retell the story of freedom. We are living it. We are in a fight for freedom simply to live here – to build lives, raise our children, and continue the Jewish story in our own land. “Freedom is hard to attain, but it is very easy to lose. And that’s why it has to be fought for in every generation.” So as we approach the Seder, I'm thinking less about how we tell the story, and more about what we are handing on. Will our children inherit a story they recognise as their own, something worth continuing? Rabbi Sacks taught: “To be a Jew is to be an agent of hope… Jewish faith is written in the future tense.” So this Pesach, let's not just tell the story, but strengthen the identity we pass on. Chag Pesach Sameach. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy

One of the greatest moral thinkers of our time, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, would have turned 78 this Sunday. His wisdom, moral clarity, and boundless compassion shaped Jewish thought — and profoundly influenced the wider world. The author of more than 25 books and the only posthumous recipient of the Genesis Prize, Lord Sacks spoke with remarkable prescience about the existential threat he believed Iran posed to Western civilization. His analysis was grounded not only in geopolitics, but in moral philosophy. Lord Sacks was direct: Iran represented a grave danger — not only to Israel, but to many regimes across the Middle East and to the West itself. At the center of his concern was Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons capability. Lord Sacks argued that this was not a matter that could be resolved through rhetoric alone. The response, he believed, required an overwhelmingly strong coalition — bringing together Israel, the Gulf states, Europe, and the United States — all of whom he noted felt threatened. More broadly, Lord Sacks saw Iran’s theocratic model as a stark illustration of the dangers inherent in fusing religious absolutism with state power. When clerics claim exclusive access to truth and wield political authority, he warned, dissent becomes heresy and pluralism cannot survive. In short, he viewed Iran as dangerous on multiple levels: as a nuclear-aspiring state with destabilizing regional ambitions, as a driver of transnational religious extremism, and as a living embodiment of the theocratic violence he cautioned against throughout his intellectual life. I regret that Lord Sacks did not live to see the day when the regime he viewed as an existential threat to our civilization is about to fall. Photo: Lady Sacks accepting the posthomous Genesis Prize from the author, with former UK Prime Minister Theresa May and Israel’s President Isaac Herzog joining us on the podium. Lord Sacks was chief rabbi of the UK for over 20 years and served as a trusted advisor to multiple prime ministers and the royal family, including then-Prince Charles.

We are excited to share some wonderful news from Bar-Ilan University:   Prof. Deborah Lipstadt has been named the 2026 recipient of the Jonathan Sacks Institute Prize for Outstanding Achievement as a Public Intellectual, awarded in memory of Samuel Gewurz z”l.   The award recognises her extraordinary leadership in confronting antisemitism and her lifelong commitment to moral courage and intellectual integrity – values that were central to Rabbi Sacks' life and work.   We're proud to partner with Bar-Ilan University and its Jonathan Sacks Institute in advancing Rabbi Sacks' belief that ideas can change the world, and that courageous leadership in the public square matters more than ever.   Mazal Tov to Prof. Lipstadt on this richly deserved recognition and to the Jonathan Sacks Institute on this momentous occasion!   Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dTAGS2B2

Now accepting applications for the second cohort of the Noé Sacks Scholarships for the 2026–27 academic year. Scholarships are available for both PhD and MA students who wish to pursue academic research related to the thought and legacy of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. For more details see https://lnkd.in/ebkHiG64. Note that the deadline for submitting applications is April 30, 2026. Good luck! ההרשמה פתוחה למחזור השני של מלגות נואי זקס לשנת הלימודים תשפ״ז. המלגות מיועדות לסטודנטיות ולסטודנטים לתואר שני עם תיזה ולדוקטורט המעוניינים לבצע מחקר אקדמי העוסק במחשבתו ובמורשתו של הרב לורד יונתן זקס. לפרטים https://lnkd.in/eZyBcnuR. שימו לב: המועד האחרון להגשת הבקשות הוא 30 באפריל 2026. בהצלחה! The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Bar-Ilan University

Nissim Bellahsen, a graduate of last year's Rabbi Sacks Learning Fellowship and currently Head of Ozar Hatorah High School in Paris, has published a thoughtful and original article on this week’s parasha, Toldot. Drawing on Rabbi Sacks’ methodology of biblical scholarship, he offers a fresh re-examination of the Jacob and Esau narrative that is both intellectually rigorous and deeply engaging. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eWGdnRAc Nissim Bellahsen The Rabbi Sacks Legacy #JewishEducation #TorahThought #Parasha #RabbiSacks #LeadershipDevelopment #BiblicalStudies #JewishLearning #ThoughtLeadership

Timed to coincide with Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sack's fifth Yahrzeit, the link to BIU's groundbreaking new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), "The Jewish Philosophy of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks," is now up. To sign up for the free course, go here https://lnkd.in/dfxYpRV4 (link and course are in Hebrew, with English subtitles). לרגל יום השנה החמישי לפטירתו של הרב לורד יונתן זקס, עלה לאוויר הלינק לקורס המקוון החדש של אוניברסיטת בר־אילן על הרב יונתן זקס - הרב זקס: חלון להגות יהודית. להרשמה לקורס החינמי – לחצו כאן https://lnkd.in/dfxYpRV4 Miriam Feldmann-Kaye Jonathan Rynhold Jonathan C. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Bar-Ilan University

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was one of the most influential Jewish voices of our time whose wisdom shaped global conversations on faith and morality. AJC is proud to take part in The Rabbi Sacks Legacy 2025 Global Day of Learning with Jewish communities across the globe. Join Jessica Sacks, his niece and former Senior Translator and Scholar at Koren, and Rabbi Dr. Samuel Lebens, Sacks Scholar and philosophy professor at the University of Haifa, in conversation with Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman, AJC’s Director of U.S. Jewish Communal Engagement and Partnerships, to explore how Rabbi Sacks’ understanding of Torah inspired his advocacy and the enduring legacy of his newly released Torah translation and commentary. https://lnkd.in/ghm3rUXh